Secret Guardians
by pokemonlover417
Summary: when the ninjas find some mysterious eggs in their rooms, they find themselves thrown on another crazy adventure. But there are secrets to be discovered, and worst of all, the new threat involves one of their own members.
1. Kitsune and the Eggs

**Well, I've gotten into the Ninjago boat now, and I have done NOTHING for Pokemon yet, So I decided, what the hell, and made this. I decided that Zane is NOT going to be a ninjroid in this story. He's awesome as a ninjroid, but I'm just so used to him being a 'normal' human. Anyway, the summary:**

**While exploring a snow covered forest, the ninjas find a shrine with a strange fox like statue within it. Just what is this shrine dedicated to, and what's with the random eggs?  
**

"Jay, this better not be far!" Kai growled. "I'm out of my element in all this snow and ice!"

"Chill Kai!" Jay joked. There were groans at the obvious and horrible pun. "We're almost there!" Jay went on about how awesome this thing he found was, but the others ignored him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the ninjas came across a stone covered path.

"What are all these stones doing here?" Lloyd asked.

"I believe they are used as a pathway to a place deep within the forest." Zane answered. "I sense a great power nearby. We must be careful."

"Jay, this isn't as awesome as I thought it would be." Cole said, glaring at the blue ninja.

"Sorry...I just thought it was cool." Jay muttered.

"Where does it lead?" Lloyd asked, staring into the distance.

"Only one way to find out." Kai answered, running off. The others followed him. Kai ran down the path for a while before...

"_Stop!_" A voice echoed. Kai immediately halted, and the others, not expecting him to stop, ran right into him. And each other.

"Ow!" Jay whined, rubbing his nose. "What the brick Kai? Why did you...stop...?" In front of them, just half a yard away, there was a strange girl with a black kimono on. It was hard to see her clearly through all the snow.

"Who are you?" Kai called out. No answer.

"HEY!" Jay screamed. "ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING?" Cole smacked him.

"Don't ask her that!" He snapped. Jay mumbled something as he rubbed his head. There was a faint red glow around the girl's eyes for a moment.

"This girl is starting to scare me." Lloyd whispered. Kai ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's friendly." He said.

"Remember that power I sensed earlier?" Zane asked. "It's stronger now."

"Are you saying that the power is coming form her?" Jay asked. Zane stepped forward until he was the closest one to the girl.

"_Why are you here_?" The voice echoed again. It took the ninjas a moment to realize the girl was talking by using telepathy. Her eyes were focused on Zane, and was most likely only talking to him.

"My friends and I are just exploring the area." Zane answered, motioning to the others. The girl's eyes didn't move.

"_Do not harm the shrine, or face the consequences._" The girl told him firmly, before moving so the ninjas could get through. The others followed Zane as he continued to walk down the path, the girl still staring at him.

"What shrine was she talking about?" Lloyd asked.

"That one maybe." Cole replied, pointing at the small shrine in front of them. The shrine was a normal little shrine, with a wooden arch in the front, and two fox statues on both sides of the arch. As they got closer they saw a larger fox statue. It was pure white except for a a strange swirl like pattern on it's tail, and a small tear drop shaped spot on it's forehead, both of which were black. It had light blue eyes that held an aura of mystery and fierceness.

"What is it supposed to be?" Lloyd asked.

"It looks like a fox to me..." Kai whispered.

"A strange looking fox..." Zane muttered staring at the statue. Suddenly, the tail on the statue moved, and the eyes blinked. The ninjas let out cries of shock as they reached for their weapons.

"Put your weapons back!" Zane ordered, not taking his eyes off the creature. "This is a sacred place, that has been dedicated to this creature for a reason. It would be wrong to fight here." The creature looked over at Zane.

"_Thank you Zane..._" It said. It jumped down from the stone and ran off into the forest.

"Wait!" Zane called out. "How do you know my name?" But it was too late. The creature was already gone.

"Creeper stalker creature?" Jay guessed. The others glared at him. "What? It was just a guess!"

"Come on, let's go back and get some rest." Cole said. The others reluctantly followed him out of the shrine. Zane stopped and looked back, and saw little creature, who had returned. The creature ran off, with an apple in it's mouth. Zane heard his friends calling back to him, and he ran over to them, looking back one last time at the shrine.

The next morning, Cole awoke and was about to get out of bed, only to have his foot bump into something. He picked it up, and noticed it was a small golden egg with what looked like a white oval spot on the front. The egg moved, and Cole nearly dropped the egg, but he quickly caught it. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat the egg down on his bed, and walked away to find the others.

"Am I the only one who got an egg?" Cole asked. They had rebuilt the monastery, and made it big enough for everyone to have their own room, and there were even a few extra rooms as well. Lord Garmadon was defeated, the Serpentine had surprisingly called a peace treaty with the ninjas, declaring they would live peacefully with the humans(thought the ninjas were still suspicious of them), and everything seemed peaceful. Sensei Wu was off on a vacation for a few days.

"I too found an egg." Zane said.

"Me too! Mine moved, I think it's close to hatching!" Jay started. Kai sighed.

"Same here." He said. "Where do you think they came from?"

"Guys, why is there an egg in my room?" Lloyd asked, walking over to them.

"You too?" Nya asked. Kai nodded.

"Yeah. It looks like we all got one." He said.

"I'm gonna go check on my egg, and see if it'll hatch!" Jay said, running off. The others went back to their own rooms.

Jay was sitting beside his bed staring at the egg. He let out a squeak of surprise and ducked down a bit when the egg cracked and started to shake. The egg fell over on it's side, and there were more cracks. Finally, the little creature was able to break through the egg shell, revealing a light yellow mouse with big ears. Jay picked up the little creature, and held it for a moment. The little mouse creature opened it's little black eyes and stared up at Jay.

"Pichu!" It squeaked giving Jay a happy little smile. Jay smoothed the fur on it's head with his hand, and the little creature nibbled on his finger.

"Hungry?" Jay asked, smiling brightly. Suddenly, the little creature accidentally zapped poor Jay with a little bolt of electricity. Jay sat there, wondering about what had just happened to him. "That was awesome! I'm gonna call you Zapper!" He said. The little creature smiled brightly, happy about his new name.

In his room, Cole sat on his bead staring at the ceiling, wondering about his egg, which he had right next to him. Suddenly there was a loud crack as the egg fell onto the floor, revealing a small rodent like creature that looked a little like an armadillo. He picked it up and the creature looked him straight in the eyes. Cole smiled, and the creature yawned obviously tired, and unfazed by it's fall.

Zane was looking out the window, the egg laying on his bed. A small crack appeared on the top of the egg, and the whole side fell apart. The little creature was trapped with the rest of the half on top of it. Zane gently reached out and moved the eggshell off the poor creature. It was small and lizard like with two small tusks on both sides of it's mouth.

"Kiba?" It asked, looking around. It noticed Zane and it gave the ninja a big smile.

Kai was sitting down on the bed, holding his egg. The egg cracked and a salamander like creature with a long tail that had fire at the tip shoved the egg shell away from itself. Kai was a little worried about the fire. The creature leaped down onto the floor, only to fall flat on it's face. It's tail hit the floor, and panic rose in Kai's heart. He calmed down when he noticed the fire on the creatures tail didn't harm anything, even wood.

Lloyd was busy training when he heard his egg start to hatch. He ran over to it and a small blue dog like creature hatched from the egg.

"Rio?" It squeaked looking up at Lloyd. "Rio! Rio!" It raised it's arms, wanting to be picked up. Lloyd gently picked up the creature and tickled it, earning a little laugh from it. Lloyd laughed himself.

"I always wanted a little brother!" He said.

Nya was busy trying to figure out if there was any trouble in Ninjago city when she heard a sharp crack. Turning her head, she saw her egg moving, with little pieces falling off. She walked over and watched as a six tailed fox fell out of the egg.

"Wait...foxes don't hatch from eggs..." She thought aloud. The little fox looked up at her.

"Vul?" It said. "Vul! Vulpix, vul!" Nya smiled and patted it's head. Jay came in shortly after, with his creature on his head. Nya giggled at the sight. Cole was carrying his, and Kai's was walking beside him. Lloyd's was stumbling behind him, and Lloyd often had to stop for it to catch up. Zane came in moments later, his creature resting on his shoulder.

"It looks like the eggs have all hatched." Kai said. The others set their creatures down and watched as they played together. Jay's little 'mouse' was staying far away from Cole's 'armadillo', but other than that, none of them seemed to have much of a problem with each other.

"Yep!" Lloyd answered, excited about the creatures. "But I'm a little confused about something...What are they, where do they come from, and how did they get here?"

"It seems as thought they appeared out of no where..." Zane observed. Cole shook his head.

"Eggs don't just poof out of thin air..." He said. "Someone brought them here...but why?"

"More questions..." Jay complained. "I got one we can answer right now! What are we gonna name them? I've already named mine Zapper!"

**Alright people! It's up to you to decide what the names of the little pokemon are going to be! BTW: Here's some explanations:**

**I gave Zane a Kibago/Axew because I couldn't find any ice types that seemed to suit him, so I gave him an awesome little dragon type instead. I also will call some of the newer pokemon by their Japanese names, because when I first started watching Best Wishes, I was watching it on a site that would only show you the Japanese dubs with English subtitles. Besides, I think some of the names sound better in Japanese.  
**

**Pokemon and their Ninja trainers!:  
**

**Jay: Pichu(Zapper)  
**

**Cole: Sandshrew(needs name)  
**

**Zane: Kibago(needs name)  
**

**Kai: Charmander(needs name)  
**

**Lloyd: Riolu(needs name)  
**

**Nya: Vulpix(needs name)  
**

**HELP ME WITH THE NAMES IN YOUR REVIEW PLEASE! I'm no good with names...  
**


	2. Ignore this

**Well everyone, I can no longer work on the stories until I get a new bed. Why? Well my computer is in my room and I always sit on my bed when I'm on the computer. I recently got a new bed, and it's way too tall. So until I get a new bed, I can't work because it hurts my back, and it's really hard for me to type. Sorry everyone, but all the stories are now on hold.**


	3. The Injured Demon

**Ok, I started working on this chapter when there were only a few reviews, so if I don't use any of your names, I'm sorry! OK, Ninjas, it's time for you to tell us the name of your pokemon! And ****I know what I said but...I FORCED myself to finish this. The things I do for my fans... TT_TT(just a little note: There is violence/gore, and some cussing in this story, nothing to serious though(maybe), as well as references to other things.)**  


**Kai: Well the most popular name for Charmander is Blaze, so I guess I'll go with that.  
**

**Zane: I decided to go with Iceli.  
**

**Cole: Mine was a bit harder...Considering at the time there was only one name and that was Sandy. But-  
**

**Me: My sister's name is Sandy so...that was a bit awkward...But we'll go with it! (Besides, I don't really think I ever mentioned my sister at all in any of my stories so I didn't expect any of you to know her.  
**

**Jay: Of course you guys already know my Pichu's name is Zapper!  
**

**Nya: I picked Hinata.  
**

**Lloyd: ...  
**

**What? Didn't you choose a name?  
**

**Lloyd: I picked Aurora...but it sounds like a girls name...  
**

**That's because your Riolu _is_ a girl.  
**

**Lloyd: oh. Wait, What?  
**

**On with the chapter!  
**

**Lloyd: Wait a minute my Pokemon's a _girl_? HEY!  
**

Zane was walking through the snowy forest, heading towards the shrine. He heard a faint whisper and looked around.

"Hello?" Zane called. The wind howled outside the shrine, but within the shrine, it was eerily quiet and still. Zane reluctantly went inside the shrine to escape the raging storm.

"_Why have you returned here?_" A voice asked. There it was. The same fox-like creature from before, staring at him with it's narrow blue eyes that showed no emotion.

"I...I am not sure..." Zane confessed. "One moment I am asleep in my bed, and the next I am out here in the middle of a blizzard. The creature's tail twitched.

"_You are still in your bed, Zane._" It explained. Zane blinked.

"I...do not understand...What do you mean?" He asked. "And how do you know my name?" The creature chuckled a bit.

"_I am the Spirit Guardian of Ice._" It, or rather _she_, explained. "_It's my job to send you signs and prophecies to help you in your life._"

"What about the eggs?" Zane questioned further.

"_Listen to me carefully Zane; A new fire has risen from a simple spark. A fire that cannot be doused by water but by another fire that burns much brighter than it._" the guardian slowly became blurry as Zane began to wake up.

_What did she mean?_ He thought as he opened his eyes. Sure enough, he was in bed with Iceli slowly waking beside him.

"Good morning my mysterious companion." Zane greeted the little reptile, who yawned in response. Nya had done her best to try and figure out what the creatures were, but it was practically impossible. Zane's thoughts returned to what the guardian had said to him. _Could the others also have guardians helping them as well? Or am I the only one? And what does that prophecy mean?  
_

"Hey Zane!" Jay's call snapped him back into reality. "Have you seen Zapper?

"No. Why?" Zane answered.

"I think he might have run away!" Jay answered, obviously beginning to panic. There was a loud squeal and Zapper ran past the room, Sandy chasing after him, obviously a little more than pissed off. Jay ran after them and Iceli looked up at Zane in confusion.

"Kiba?" He asked.

"I'm not sure either..." Zane sighed.

* * *

Zane and Iceli were walking around a snow covered forest. It was snowing a bit, and Iceli was on Zane's shoulder, clearly unhappy with the weather. Iceli let out what sounded like a cry of shock and jumped off Zane's shoulder, and onto the snowy ground. He ran over to a rock and looked at it, eyes wide in fear. Zane looked down at the rock and a feeling of dread filled his heart at what was mixed in with the snow on the rock. Blood. There was a visible trail, seemingly fresh from the way the snow was coming down, leading deeper into the forest. Zane kept wondering about what he should do. Go back to the others? No. The trail indicated that the owner of the blood was badly injured, and there was a blizzard coming. They wouldn't make it in time to save whoever, or whatever, it was. Should he go on alone and send Iceli to get the others? No. Too dangerous. And Iceli might not be able to find him, for the snow would have covered his tracks. Zane finally decided to go on with Iceli. Eventually the trail led to a cave. Zane gasped when he finally saw the owner of the blood. It was a girl, seemingly not much older than Zane, with long brown hair, a long fluffy aqua colored cat tail with a dark blue tail tip, and two dark blue cat ears. Her eyes were shut tightly in pain, and there was a large gash in her leg. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and she seemed to be half dead. Iceli ran over to the girl, despite Zane trying to call him back. Iceli shook the girl gently. The girl's eyes opened slowly, revealing two sapphire eyes that held a hidden pain and terror. Zane knew immediately the girl had suffered greatly long before this incident. The girl's eyes were darkening and burning in rage at the sight of Zane, as though she held a fierce hatred and could barely keep herself from murdering him.

"Are you alright?" Zane asked gently, ignoring the cold glare. The girl shrank back a bit, her ears laying back, and her tail fluffed up and lashing.

"Back off human!" She snapped. Zane was certain that she wasn't human, but he couldn't figure out what made him so uneasy. The girl clearly did not like him.

"Kiba, kiba!" Iceli said, looking happy that the girl was alive. The girl payed no attention to the creature. She did not want to take her attention off Zane, as if...as if she was... _Is she _afraid_ of me?! _Zane thought. That's when he noticed how badly she was shivering. But it wasn't from the cold. She was afraid of him.

"I promise I won't hurt you." Zane tried to reassure the girl. The girl's eyes flickered in surprise and disbelief for a moment.

"An empty promise that won't be kept." She growled. Her voice wavered a bit. She was weakening, and the light in her eyes was beginning to die down. The blood loss and the cold were starting to affect her. If she was a human she would have already been dead before Zane found her, but she had somehow fought off death. Yet she was losing the fight. She was starting to die. Zane walked a bit closer to her, in hopes that he could help. Even though she made him feel uneasy, he couldn't stand to see her suffer like that. Suddenly, the light returned to the girls eyes, and she weakly scrambled to get up. Zane wanted to stop her, but he somehow knew that if he were to try and stop her, she would fight back in fear that he was going to kill her. The girl let out a cry as a fresh new wave of pain shot through her leg. Zane caught her as she collapsed. The girl was too weak and in too much pain to fight back, or even hiss. Zane laid her down gently, being careful not to hurt her anymore, and took out a first aid kit that he usually carried around. He was able to clean and bandage the would without much problems, but the girl obviously didn't like him, hissing in pain and anger every once in a while.

"What happened to you?" Zane asked, as he finished bandaging her wound. The girl's eyes clouded over as she entered a distant memory. Her breathing seemed to slow, and Zane was fearful that she was dying, that he had come too late.

"A group of snakes attacked me..." The girl whispered. Zane's heart burned in fury. Why would the serpentine hurt this girl?! She was obviously a very careful person, and didn't seem to want to get mixed up with such creatures, so why attack her? But what she said next, shocked Zane to the point where his breath caught in his throat, and he nearly fainted in shock. "Kill me."

"W-What?!" Zane asked, a few moments later, still surprised that the girl wanted to _die_.

"Kill me." the girl repeated, her voice a little stronger. "End my suffering. It's what you came to do, right? You came to finish me off." Zane could only sit there, frozen in astonishment and disbelief.

"I...I would never kill you!" Zane exclaimed. Iceli stirred a bit. The little creature was asleep in a different area of the cave. "Why would you even...?"

"Your kind _killed_ my family." The girl hissed. Zane's heart sunk. No wonder she didn't trust him. She was orphaned, most likely at a young age, because of some heartless bastard. "I've seen what you humans do to those who are different then you! You fear things and creatures that are different, and you kill the things you fear!"

"Not all humans are like that." Zane said softly. He placed his hand over hers, and the girl surprisingly didn't pull away.

"You're apparently weaker than most." The girl muttered coldly. Zane decided it was best to just ignore her insults. She was injured, cold, tired, and possibly hungry. It wasn't surprising that her temper was so short.

"Some see kindness as a weakness, others see it as a strength." Zane replied calmly. He moved a piece of hair out of her face, unintentionally locking eyes with her. That's when he realized it. She was _not _a cold hearted creature. Yes, her eyes were dark hate, and rage. But, there was also sadness. A deep painful sadness, as well as a terrible longing to be with her family. To just relive those happy days when she was not living in hopeless terror, knowing that she could be killed any second, with no one there to help or protect her. She was a misunderstood, lost, and tortured soul trying to find her place in a dangerous unforgiving world.

"Who are you?" The girl asked weakly. The gash in her leg had finally stopped bleeding, but she had lost quite a bit of blood. It would be some time until she was strong enough to walk on her own.

"My name is Zane." Zane introduced himself. "I am the white ninja of ice. What is your name? You never told me." The girl laid her head down, barely able to even keep her eyes open.

"Crystal..." The girl sighed, her eyes closing as she fell into a deep sleep. Zane smiled and decided to go back to the Monastery. The blizzard outside was raging, yet he had do get something.

* * *

When Zane returned, Crystal was still fast asleep. Zane took a blanket out of the backpack he was carrying and put it over her to keep her warm .But as he pulled his hands away, her eyes opened. Crystal looked at the blanket and back at him in confusion.

"I wasn't going to let you freeze." Zane whispered. The blizzard had calmed down, and the snow was falling lightly. Crystal sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her.

"thanks..." She muttered, a bit awkwardly. She obviously wasn't happy about thanking a human. But if she wasn't human, what was she?

The truth hit Zane like a ton of bricks.

The hatred towards the human race, living in fear her entire life, her family getting killed by humans, and that cold look in her eyes made one word keep repeating itself in Zane's head. But if she was a what Zane believed she was, that would mean that she would kill Zane the moment she got her strength back.

Could Zane be making the right choice? Was he safe around this girl?

Could he really be safe around a demon?

**CLIFFHANGERS FOR THE WIN! XD Yeah, again, I know what I said, but I FORCED myself to finish this...I hope ya'll are happy. -_- Anyway, the scenario between Zane and Crystal was actually inspired by a dream I had where this same exact thing happened. Of course the events in the dream were slightly different than in here(Crystal did actually mention she was a demon when Zane helped her, but to save it for this I changed that, and the fact she said she was supposed to kill him since he was a human.), but other than that, it's pretty close to my dream.**


	4. Trust Begins

** MistChaser224: Sorry, but I'm not accepting Ocs into the story. ^^; Crystal and Zane's relationship is actually a bit inspired by Inuyasha.(Me being the otaku I am(MIROKU, YOU MAY BE A PERVERT BUT YOU'RE STILL AWESOME!) There are, of course, a few minor changes such as the fact Crystal does not wear a necklace that makes her slam into the ground whenever Zane says the word 'sit', and as we get more into who Crystal really is, you'll find that though she and Inuyasha's personalities are somewhat similar, they are actually very different. Anyway, there will be a few other references to books games, and movies I've played/seen/read, so keep an eye out for them. :3 Again, sorry for not accepting Ocs.  
**

**BTW: Ya'll like the new cover? ;) I made it myself. :3(I'm not joking. I actually drew that.)  
**

**And I'm sorry for not updating at all! High school's been a real pain lately, and I've been home sick the last couple of days.  
**

**Ok, back to the story!(Others are still on hold because of the horror that is Writer's Block...)  
**

A dense and heavy fog hung in the air as a small unicorn-like creature ran through the snowy forest, it's hooves barely touching the snow. Above it flew a dark blue-grey bird with a white chest, and red face. Behind him there was a deer like creature who's fur was a beautiful cherry blossom pink, with golden spots. Her silver eyes were dark with worry.

"(Avalon, where are we?!)" The little deer asked. The unicorn, Avalon, turned to her.

"(W are going to find Crystal!)" He answered. "(She can't be far!)" The deer looked down sadly.

"(Those snakes hurt her really bad...she's not gonna come back...)" She told Avalon solemnly. Avalon's eyes burned in anger.

"(YES SHE WILL!)" He screamed. The deer flinched. "(Sorry Flora...But Crystal wouldn't just go and die on us like that!)"

"(I know...this weather isn't good for a deerling like myself...Since you're a Keldeo, it doesn't bother you as much, and Mist being a Taillow isn't affected at all I don't think...)" Flora looked up at the bird.

"(I'm not.)" Mist replied. "(My feathers keep me warm.)"

"(My fur isn't that thick...)" Flora muttered. Avalon walked closer to her.

"(I'll keep you warm!)" He said smiling. Flora's face turned red, but she didn't say anything against it. A heavy silence hung in the air. Avalon looked up at the dull, cloud covered sky. _Please Arceus._ He pleaded silently. _Keep Crystal safe!_

* * *

Zane was walking through the forest towards the cave. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just starting to peek out from behind the mountains, it's warm light shimmering off the surface of the blanket of snow that covered the ground. Iceli was close behind him, looking around in an amazed wonder at the snow. After a while, Zane and Iceli were able to get to the cave. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the cave, for the sun had not yet been able to send it's light into the cave, Zane was able to see Crystal fast asleep at the back of the cave, underneath the blanket Zane had given to her. Zane walked over to her, trying to be careful to not wake her. He stared at her in surprise for a moment. He hadn't been able to get a very good look at her when she was asleep before. He was finally able to see her when her face wasn't twisted in pain, fear, or fury. Her cat ears ended in fine points, and her tail looked soft and was well groomed, despite her condition. She was thin (she never ate anything Zane tried to give to her for some reason.), but she wasn't very thin. (Zane believed it was because she ran off to find food, despite the pain her injury must be causing her.) Iceli walked over to her and shook her gently. Crystal's sapphire eyes opened and she looked a little surprised when she saw Zane.

"I didn't think you would come here so early..." Crystal said. She sat up, and Zane's natural instincts started screaming at him to flee from her. To get away from the monster, no, demon, that could kill him and then never think about it. Zane grew ashamed that he had thought of Crystal as a monster. Crystal was a demon, not a monster. He remembered overhearing Cole and Kai arguing over the matter after they had run into a demon when out on a mission.

"Kai, he wasn't a monster!" Cole had snapped. "He was a demon, and a _child_ no less!"

"Demon, monster, what's the difference?!" Kai challenged. "Last time I checked, demons _killed_ humans!"

"That still doesn't give you an excuse on why you scared him away like that! He was just. A. Kid!"

Zane shook the memory out of his mind. Cole was completely right about the matter. Demons and monsters were two different things. Kai was right in his own way of course. Demons killed humans sometimes, but not always. Crystal had never even tried to hurt Zane. The worst thing she ever did was hiss a warning or snap at him. Zane was unaffected by this though, having learned to ignore every insult that was thrown at him. He had to admit though, Crystal did unnerve him quite a bit. Crystal patted Iceli on the head.

"Where did you get the Kibago from?" She asked. "I haven't seen a wild pokemon in this world. Or any pokemon." Zane was surprised yet again. She knew what these creatures were?!

"Y-You know what they are?!" Zane asked. Crystal nodded.

"Why?" Crystal asked, tilting her head a little. Zane felt his face warm up slightly, though he thought it was from the cold.

"Well...My friends and I got them as eggs, and as much as we tried, we could never figure out what they were..." Zane answered.

"That doesn't surprise me to be honest..." Crystal muttered. "Pokemon aren't from this world."

"What is a pokemon anyway?" Zane asked. "The more we know about them, the better." Crystal smiled.

"Well, Pokemon can come from one of two worlds, one where they live side by side with humans, and another where it's full of nothing but Pokemon." Crystal started to explain. "When I child turns ten years old, they go to their local professor, breeder, and sometimes their parents, and get their first pokemon. Some will go off to join the league to try and become champion, others become contestants in contests, I know a few that have joined the Pokemon Musical a couple of times..." Crystal continued to talk about Pokemon for the remainder of the day, even telling Zane about the different types of pokemon, different ways they evolve, and even told him a few legends.

Zane got up and started to go back home with a heavy heart. He didn't want to leave Crystal behind, in case something were to happen. It was warm back home, and the night was going to be dreadfully cold. Would Crystal be able to endure it for much longer? She had seemed to have weakened somewhat, and Zane was worried that it was because of the cold. An idea suddenly came into his mind. Crystal could come back with him! Her injury would be a bit of a problem, but it was mid afternoon, so they had plenty of time. Of course, there was another problem: Crystal didn't like humans. How would she react to the others? And Kai made it clear that he did not like demons. Would he try to scare Crystal away? Would Crystal even say yes to the offer? All these questions screamed in Zane's mind. He walked back to the cave, trying not to think of what might happen.

"Crystal?" He called. Crystal looked back over at him, her ears twitching a little.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I want you to come back to the monastery with me." Zane replied. Crystal's ears laid back.

"Why?" She hissed.

"It would be easier to manage your injury if you were nearby." Zane explained. "Besides, tonight's going to get colder than last night. I do not want you to get ill." Crystal was quiet for a moment.

"What do you want in return?" She asked.

"All I want is for you to get better." Zane answered. Crystal looked surprised. "Though it might help us to learn a little more about the pokemon." He looked down at Iceli, who had curled up next to Crystal's tail and fallen asleep.

"Will your friends..." Crystal trailed off. Zane knew exactly what she was going to say.

"I'm sure they will understand." He said. "It may be hard getting Kai to agree..." Crystal let out a sigh.

"Alright...I'll come. But only if you carry me." Zane smiled. At least she agreed to something. For once.

* * *

"She's not staying!" Kai snapped. Zane had just told the others about Crystal, who was sleeping in one of the extra rooms, and Kai was clearly a little more than pissed off.

"Kai, if I had left her out there she would have died." Zane growled. The others stayed quiet, not wanting to get caught up in the fight.

"So?" Kai asked. "That would mean one less demon we would have to worry about!"

"He's half human!"

"That doesn't mean she can stay here! She's also half _monster_!"

"She is not a monster!"

"**ENOUGH!**" The two ninjas jumped a little. Sensei Wu walked into the room. "I am very disappointed in you Kai! Not all demons are evil. Half demons are far more trustworthy than a normal demon, and Zane was merely doing the right thing. Crystal may stay here as long as she wishes."

"Thank you Sensei." Zane said. "Crystal also told me that she would tell us more about the Pokemon."

"Pokemon?" Everyone asked at once.

"The mysterious creatures that came from the eggs." Zane explained. "She said they are not from this world-"

"Wait a minute!" Cole called out. "If they're from another world, then how does Crystal know what they are?!"

"I am not sure...She never told me." Zane answered quietly. "She does know a lot about them. Besides, whatever happened to her in the past is none of our concern at the moment. The only thing we can honestly do is make sure her health doesn't get any worse than it already is." Iceli ran past him with the other pokemon not far behind.

"Did she tell you anything about the pokemon?" Nya asked, picking up Hinata. Zane nodded.

"She told me quite a bit. Mainly about the many types and some about the many different species." He told his friends. Kai acted uninterested, but the look in his eyes gave away his true feelings, and that he was dying to know more about the strange creatures.

"Well tell us what she said!" Cole demanded. "The more we know about these creatures, the better! Zane spent most of the night telling the others about the pokemon. The ninjas were relieved to know at least a little about the strange creatures, but one question still hung in the back of their minds:

How did the eggs get to their world, and why were the ninjas the ones stuck with the Pokemon?

They were already heroes, and didn't think they needed the help of the pokemon. Boy were they ever wrong. Especially after they met an insane little creature.

_ME!_

**That's right people! I'm in this story! :D Ok, not really. XD She's just a character who's exactly like me. (Insane yet cunning, quick tempered but wise, smart yet clumsy.) So this story is actually in first person view! Surprised ya didn't I? And sorry about the long wait for such a short chapter. Been sick lately, unable to think. And to top it all off I STILL have writer's block for the other two stories. The life as a writer is never as easy as it seems...  
**


	5. Author's Note

**I am so sorry for not updating these! I've been busy with high school, I've been sick, and worse of all, I have a _HORRIBLE_ case of writer's block that just. Won't. Go. Away! I have a...slight idea for WTCTA, but for VA, nothing. Secret Guardians I have many ideas for, though they're unfortunately for _future_ chapters. So please just be patient and maybe help me out at least a little bit! But again:  
**

**_I HAVE A LIFE. I CANNOT BE WORKING ON THESE STORIES ALMOST 24/7 LIKE I WAS DURING THE SUMMER TIME. IT'S MY FRESHMAN YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL, SO I BARELY HAVE TOO MUCH TIME, PLUS I HAVE A FERRET WHO NEEDS LOTS OF ATTENTION._  
**

**Sorry for sounding like a broken record, but I'm still getting reviews saying 'Hurry up and update!' even though I've already said this possibly more than once. I am not giving out names, but it would be much more easier for me. Especially because I'm a little...emotionally unstable at the moment. I've been drifting farther and farther away from my friends, because I have a very short temper, like all Aries, and I'm afraid I will hurt them. Plus, when two or more of my friends get into a fight, they try to force me to take a side. I want to, just to end the fight, but then the other person(or people) get angry and hate me, and when I try to fix it, the other person whose side I was on hates me, and then they're all angry at me, only adding to my stress. Another thing is, I have stress migraines. Meaning I get a _terrible_ headache when under a lot of stress. Plus, a lot of you may have noticed, I'm a little serious about my fan fictions. Why? I bet you think that writing was easy. It's not. Believe me. Even for someone as smart as I am(got the highest score out of the entire district on my reading exam in sixth or seventh grade thank you.), it's actually quite challenging.  
**

**Plus I'm actually in the process in writing an honest to goodness _real_ book. About what?  
**

**It's a fantasy book. About pigeons. No you did not misread that. The book is really about _PIGEONS. _Why? Aren't pigeons filthy little vermin? Actually, no. Well. Kinda. But it wasn't because I wanted to be unique and write about something as overlooked as a pigeon, but because of their mating habits.  
**

**When a pigeon falls in love, they have eyes only for the pigeon they love, no one else. And, like many birds, they mate for life. If the two are separated, or one of them dies, they will _NEVER_ mate again, even when introduced to another pigeon.  
**

**Anyway, rant over. Summary: I have a life, I have writer's block, and I'm writing a book. Got it? Ok. Again, I'm so sorry for not updating! I just wanted to show ya'll that I'm alive, and I'm still working on the stories. I just haven't had the time.  
**


	6. Draconic

**Wow! Thank you everyone for being so supportive! I didn't know anyone would like this story! :D And again, SO sorry! I ended up getting a different form of writer's block! D: (I already have an idea for the last chapter but not the 5th...-_-;) But, I do have some general ideas! (expect just a bunch of random little one shots for a bit...) And I apparently have an interview to do! :D**

**1:Have you ever played Portal 2?**

**No I have not. But it looks like a lot of fun!**

**1b:Have you ever played Skyrim?**

**No unfortunately.**

**2:Did you watch Inuyasha season 1 and 2?**

**Of course! I've seen the entire show! (though It's been such a long time since then...)I've also seen the Japanese dub for the Final Act! **

**3:Did you watch the new Ninjago episode**

**I haven't really seen too much of the new season. Though I do know a bit about what happened. All I know is that the 'Overlord' was defeated, Garmy's good, and Lloyd broke his leg. **

**4:If you have,who's your favorite ninja?**

**Well...I already know my favorite ninja. Zane! X3**

**5:Do you own a Ninjago Lego set?**

**Nope. I was never into Legos all that much. (And yet I'm into a Lego show. Go figure. XD It was hard to not watch it. They're so adorable! X3)**

**6:Do you have a favorite Pokemon?**

**SO MANY I LOVE! Um...If I had to choose, Flygon.**

**7:What was you're expression for Garmadon's new form?**

**Garmy's got a new form?**

**BTW: Someone mentioned a sneasel would have been good for Zane. HOW COULD I NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT!? *facepalm* I'm such an idiot! Here I am complaining about how there aren't any ice types that I like or feel like they just don't fit Zane, and I missed the most obvious choice! (And sneasel is probably one of my favorite ice types. Glaceon is always my #1 favorite ice type though. (with Articuno in a close second.) Person who pointed that out, you are awesome and I am an idiot! I am not worthy to have such a fan!  
**

**On with the FanFic! (By the way. Since Garmadon isn't a word you usually see, it got those red lines under it telling you that it's not a word or is misspelled, I left clicked it and the only word choice as to what I could have meant was Armageddon. XD)  
**

**Zane's P.O.V.**

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was back at the shrine. Again. But why? The guardian already gave me her prophecy. What more did she want?

"_Zane._" The guardian bounded over to me. "_You did well._"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"_That half demon! Crystal!"_ The guardian answered. "_She will help you in more ways then just telling you about the pokemon. There is something...special about her, though I'm not sure what. She doesn't fear death as the others do. I'm trying to find out why...Ah well...I know you have sensed something special in her as well. Perhaps...something a little different?_"

"A little...My instincts keep telling me to run away or kill her..." I looked down. "I know I should listen to my instincts...But she's badly injured and much to weak to really do any harm."

"_Yet._" The guardian stated. "_She can't do any harm yet. Zane, she will heal quickly. And when she does, she will be unpredictable__._"

"I know." I replied sadly. "Something inside me told me I just _had_ to help her! I couldn't let her die out there! She was alone."

"_Perhaps she will stay even after she has healed and help you even more._" The guardian suggested, resting her tail on my shoulder in a way to comfort me."_She might even become a valuable friend._"

"Are you sure?" I asked hopefully. She shook her head.

"_I may give you prophecies, but even I do not know her fate. I have tried to walk in her dreams, but something...pushed me away and blocked me out. She has a barrier around her mind to prevent anyone from seeing her dreams. Her thoughts. And her memories._" The guardian grew blurry, and her voice grew distant as I began to wake up.

* * *

Lloyd was running around chasing Aurora, trying to catch her, when suddenly the little riolu stopped and looked into a room. Lloyd nearly crashed into his pokemon.

"What's wrong?" He asked. He looked into the room and his eyes widened in surprise. Crystal looked over at the little riolu and said something in a strange language that Lloyd had never heard before.

"Tir ti xihood moxt ir. Si geou ti levnim wux." She whispered gently. The riolu seemed to understand and bounded over to her bed.

"um...who are you?" Lloyd asked, a little worried.

"My name is Crystal." The half demon answered.

"So _you're_ the half demon that Zane brought home!" Lloyd exclaimed. Crystal smiled and nodded.

"Yes." Crystal answered. I walked into the room moments later.

"Lloyd, why are you in here?" I asked. The green ninja looked up at me.

"I was chasing Aurora." He answered. Aurora ran out of the room. "HEY!" Lloyd chased after her and I smiled.

"I think these pokemon are the best things that have ever happened to us." I thought aloud. Crystal smiled a little

"And why is that?" Crystal asked.

"Lloyd seems to be more happy..." I trailed off when Iceli ran over to us, jumped onto Crystal's bed, and snuggled up close to her. I felt a pang of jealousy. Crystal trusted the pokemon far more than us, and to be honest, it irked me a little. I was the one who saved her after all. Crystal laughed a little and looked up at me.

"Iceli seems to like me." She said. I nodded solemnly. She tilted her head a little, causing my face to warm up again. _What is wrong with me!? _I thought. _I-I'm probably getting ill. I shouldn't have gone into that blizzard without a jacket. After all, I am human now.* **(small note: notice how he says 'now'. I will explain this at the end of the chapter.)**  
_

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"N-nothing!" I answered. She gave me a concerned look.

"You sure?" She questioned. I nodded.

"I'm fine, don't worry." I replied. "What was that language you were speaking earlier?"

"It was Draconic." Crystal answered. "A friend taught it to me." I gave her a gentle smile.

"I thought so. I've tried learning it myself. It was much too hard for me." I chuckled a little at the memory. It wasn't a total lie. I really had tried to learn the language, but it was much too confusing for me. I did remember a few words though. Crystal looked up at the window. Kai walked into the room. I shot a glare at him. Kai had made sure that Crystal knew that he hated her. Crystal's ears laid back and she hissed a little, tail lashing.

"How long until _she's_ out of here?" Kai growled. He refused to ever call Crystal by her name.

"With the rate she's healing it will only be about another week or so. Maybe longer. Maybe shorter." I answered solemnly. I hated thinking about Crystal leaving. Crystal must have noticed my solemn expression.

"I need not stay here longer than I have to." She said. "I have been nothing but a burden to all of you. Besides, it's obvious I'm not welcome here." She cast a furious glance at Kai before continuing. "I'll leave as soon as you say I am ready, no sooner, and no later." I felt my heart ache.

"Crystal, don't pay any attention to Kai." I whispered. "He's just a fiery ball of anger that needs to learn to keep his dammed mouth shut." Kai growled at the insult. I was surprised he hadn't lashed out at Crystal yet. He couldn't hurt me since I was one of his best friends, though our friendship was being shredded since Crystal arrived.

"It's not just him." Crystal muttered. "I heard the blue ninja say something about me-" I cut her off immediately.

"Jay wasn't insulting you. He was merely saying that he was worried. You haven't been healing as fast as you should."

"Blame the snakes." Crystal hissed. "They had some sort of poison on their knives that slows healing. If I were to get ill, my wound would stop healing altogether." That concerned me greatly. The serpentine had some sort of poison? From where? And they had signed a peace treaty with us, they shouldn't be harming anyone, let alone attempted murder!

"Someone must have scared them or hired them." Kai muttered crossly. "All they've known their entire lives is war and fighting. It wouldn't surprise me if they willingly attacked her. Who's gonna care for a half demon anyway?"

"Maybe her family!" I snapped. "And I certainly care about her unlike some soulless red fireball!" I smirked at Kai's eyes burned in rage.

"Who the hell are you calling-"

"HEY YOU TWO!" Nya walked into the room, obviously upset. Lloyd was behind her with Aurora. "What's going on in here!?"

"Kai's trying to make Crystal feel unwelcome." I answered calmly. "Again." Nya sighed.

"Kai, leave the poor girl alone! She's suffered enough as it is!" She snapped. Kai muttered something I dare not repeat and Nya slapped his shoulder. "Watch your mouth! Lloyd's around! And as for you-" She looked over at me. "You need to stop trying to pick a fight with my brother!" Crystal's ears twitched.

"Fireball's your brother?" She asked. Kai glared at her.

"Yeah. Though sometimes I wish he wasn't." Nya replied.

"I know how you feel. I've got two of them." Crystal looked down and her ears laid back sadly. My heart sank as I remembered that she was an orphan.

"Poor you." Nya said sympathetically. I gently held Crystal's hand. Nya dragged Kai out of the room and I could hear him mutter a few more curses. Lloyd cast a worried glance at Crystal and I before running after the siblings. I let out a sigh.

"Crystal, I'm sorry about Kai. I don't now why he hates demons so much." I whispered. Crystal seemed to ignore me. She was holding a necklace in her hand. It was clear oval shape with a little metal slab in it that was shaped like a dragon. The position of the dragon made it look like it was an egg instead of a gem. The dragon's eyes were closed and it gave off a strange sense of magic. Like a mystical being lurking in the shadows, waiting to be discovered. I couldn't help but wonder what led me to bring Crystal back, or what told me to help her. Yes, I would have helped anyone if they were in that situation, even my worst enemy. But it was hard to ignore my instincts, which kept screaming at me to run. At times I felt like a cobra flung into a cage of mongooses with a sign that read 'Come and get me! I can't wait to be slaughtered!', but I still kept helping her, somehow able to ignore my instincts. My heart pounded in my chest as Crystal gave me a soft smile, and I locked eyes with her. It was then I realized how much pain she was in. Crystal appeared to be in no pain at all, emotional or physical, when in reality she was barely able to keep herself from crying from the pain. I left the room after a few more minutes of silence, unable to look into her tortured eyes any longer.

"I do not need your pity." I heard Crystal whisper as I left. I knew she was right. As well as wrong. I knew she didn't exactly need it, but I was positive that it made her feel more welcome and secure. She always seemed to relax when I was around. But how long would that last? Would Crystal stay even after she fully healed?

* * *

"Hey guys, if Crystal were to become a ninja, what element do you think she would be?" Lloyd asked. Kai glared at him.

"I highly doubt that she would ever become one of us." He growled. Lloyd shrank back in fear.

"Kai, leave the poor kid alone!" Cole ordered. "Why do you hate Crystal so much!?"

"Half demons are more dangerous than a full demon!" Kai answered.

"I believe that you have that the wrong way." I muttered. "Crystal's told me that half demons are often accused of the crimes that a full demon commits just because they are part demon. Kai looked at me in surprise.

"Are you sure?" He asked. I nodded. He stayed silent for the rest of the day. _Maybe he didn't know anything true about demons. He most likely only heard the common lies that everyone believes._ I looked out the window and watched the clouds pass by, hoping that Crystal would be able to stay.

**And I'm sorry this chapter is so short. Anyway, explanation as to what Zane said: I decided to actually be a little more canon. (as in have actual characters, events, and ideas from the show be mentioned.) So I decided to come up with a little theory: Remember how Zane became a kid in Child's Play? I decided to use that to my advantage. I came up with the idea that he was turned human when he became a kid since robots can't possibly be kids. So that is why he's human in this fanfiction.**

**AND I STILL HAVE THIS F***ING WRITERS BLOCK FOR MY OTHER STORIES! I just wanna bang my head with one of my textbooks and see if THAT gives me any ideas!  
**


	7. Christmas Special

**Well. HAPPY FRIGGEN NEW YEAR EVERYONE! AND GUESS WHAT! THE WORLD DIDN'T END! Seriously though. We're leaving the fate of the world to a GIANT FRIGGEN ROCK! THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY F***ING SENSE! YOU DUMBA**ES ARE OUT OF YOUR F***ING MINDS!  
**

**Zane: We are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by.  
**

**~Several hours later~  
**

**Ok. My rant is over. The only thing I have left to say is that from the data gathered is that people are naive little friggen idiots these days who believe everything they hear! Anyway, soooooo sorry for not updating! I got sick Christmas Eve so I felt like sh*t throughout the entire month. And I got no ideas because of that. *facedesk* BUT! I was able to get a few minor ideas. So. Enjoy this chapter however short it may be.  
**

**Zane's P.O.V.  
**

Have I ever mentioned how much I strongly dislike Jay? No? Well I never did until Christmas time rolled around. It was a week before Christmas and everyone was busy decorating. Crystal helped out a little by making sure Lloyd didn't get in the way. After a few hours of decorating, we all decided to take a small break. That's when Crystal asked me the most surprising question I had ever heard.

"What is Christmas anyway?" She asked. I stared at her bewildered at why she asked me such a question. _Zane you idiot!_ I thought. _Of course she doesn't know about holidays! _I took the time to explain everything to her. She was quiet mostly but she often tilted her head in that adorable way of hers every once in a while. Wait. _Adorable?_ I couldn't be thinking about her like _that_! Besides, she would be leaving soon anyway.

"So kids try to stay up at night waiting for a man in a red suit and flying reindeer and a sack full of toys to come and give them presents?" She questioned. I laughed and nodded, remembering that Lloyd, who was only eight years old, still believed in Santa Clause.

"Just don't tell Lloyd he's not real." I whispered, winking at her. She smiled and nodded. After a while something caught my eye. Mistletoe was hanging right above us. My face burned ablaze in a blush and I stared at it for a moment, remembering that interesting tradition where you had to kiss the person you were under it with. Who started that tradition anyway?

"Zane?" Crystal spoke up after a few moments. "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

"W-We're under mistletoe." I answered. Crystal gave me a puzzled look.

"So? It's just a plant." She stated. I sighed.

"When two people are under mistletoe they're supposed to kiss." I explained. This time it was Crystal's turn to blush.

"K-Kiss!?" She stammered. I nodded. "Who came up with that!? Some desperate guy who just wanted a kiss!?" I shrugged and leaned forward. I heard the sound of snickering. I made a mental note to somehow get revenge on Jay later. Crystal leaned in a little as well, tail tip twitching, and her ears lay back. The kiss didn't last very long and the moment I pulled away Crystal ran off. I let out a sigh._ Jay I will forever plot my revenge until the day I pass away._

* * *

I walked into Crystal's room a few hours after the mistletoe mishap. I wanted to apologize for it, even though it wasn't technically my fault. I could have just ignored the mistletoe and lied to her. I don't know why I explained that tradition. Though I had to admit, I did enjoy that moment of pleasure when we kissed. _No!_ I thought. _I can't think about her like that! She's only a friend! Nothing more! Besides, __she'll be leaving soon anyway. Her wound's almost completely healed. I have no time for a relationship even if she was staying. I'm a ninja with a job to do._ Once I had gotten to her room, I was shocked to see her lying under the covers of her bed, shivering violently. I rushed over to her and felt her forehead. Her eyes snapped open, wide in terror. She relaxed when she saw it was only me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, concerned for her health and well being. She nodded and let out a cough.

"It's cold in here." She rasped. I realized she was beginning to loose her voice. For some reason I was upset. It was an early warning sign she was getting ill, but I seemed more concerned about her voice than the cold. Kai walked into the room with a heavy blanket, his eyes dark in worry. He stopped when he saw me and his eyes widened in horror. And awkward silence hung in the air. I smirked mischievously at him, something I had never really done before.

"I thought you didn't like her." I teased. Kai blushed in embarrassment and possibly from anger.

"I felt bad for trying to scare her off!" He retorted angrily. "So I stared spending time with her behind your back! Besides, I can keep her warm much better than you ever could since my element is fire after all."

"What does keeping her warm have to do with anything?" I questioned.

"She's sensitive to the cold. And your element is ice." Kai explained. I paled. Did that mean I had caused this? Could the kiss from earlier actually have done this to her? "There's a leak in the window. It's letting cold air in here. I think we'd better move her to the room next to mine." I nodded, relived that it wasn't my fault. After Crystal moved into her new room and Kai left to go train with the others, I decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Sorry about earlier." I apologized.

"It's fine." Crystal said. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." A strand of Crystal's hair fell in front of her face. I subconsciously reached out and pushed it out of the way of her eyes. Crystal flinched and I instantly pulled my hand away. Her ears were laid back and her tail as puffed up. I had scared her. Her eyes shined in confusion at my sudden actions. I whispered a quick apology and left the room. I closed the door and leaned up against it. _What in the world is happening to me!?_

* * *

Christmas went great. Except for the fact that Lloyd tried to stay awake all night. Kai eventually got fed up and picked Lloyd up and locked him in his room. Crystal didn't quite agree with Kai 'being too rough to the unfortunate child', but I reminded her that even bribing him with candy wouldn't change his mind. It was the only way to keep him away from the tree so 'Santa' could come and give everyone presents. I decided to take the time to get Crystal something. I had bought her a simple present. It wasn't much, but it was definitely something at least. I had gotten her a little necklace with a dragon charm on it. The charm was actually to dragons who formed a small heart. Between the dragons there was a fake diamond heart. I didn't know if Crystal would like it, but I was hoping she would. Her old necklace had broken, but she kept the gem. She seemed to grow weaker without it. As Christmas day rolled around everyone opened their presents. We all got scarves from Nya and sensei, and video games from each other. I snuck off to give my present to Crystal. When she opened it she let out a gasp.

"Zane why did you-" She started. I smiled and gently placed my hand on her cheek. Her ears laid back and her eyes widened. She drew her tail closer to her body.

"Crystal, you're my friend." I answered, taking my hand off her cheek. I gently took the necklace and put it on her. "I wanted to get you something as well so you didn't feel left out." Crystal looked down at the necklace and then back up at me, eyes shining in gratitude and shock. She was quite for a moment, but she quickly recovered and threw her arms around my neck. I was startled by her sudden show of affection but I didn't wish to disappoint her so I returned her embrace.

"Thank you Zane." She whispered. "For everything you've done for me. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."

"It's fine." I replied. "I don't care about the presents. All I ever wanted for Christmas was a family to share it with. And now I have one." Crystal flinched at the word family. I broke the embrace and stared into her dark sapphire eyes that were now glazed in emotional pain.

"You have a family." She said sadly. The amount of grief in her voice tore at my heart.

"Crystal, you are my friend and that makes you part of my family as well." I stated. Crystal's eyes widened. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but weather they were from the mention of her lost family or from my words I did not know. I pulled her into another hug and let her cry. Nya glanced into the room at one point, possibly to tell me something. When she noticed what was going on she left without saying a word. Crystal didn't even notice her.

* * *

"Zane, may I speak with you?" Sensei Wu asked. I nodded and followed him to his room.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. Sensei shook his head.

"No." He replied. "But Crystal has healed. It is time for her to choose whether she will leave and move on with her life, or stay here." I looked down. I knew this was coming.

"I-I know." My voice cracked in grief. I couldn't stand the thought of her leaving us. She had so much to teach us about the pokemon!

"Zane, you feel a strong emotion towards her, don't you?" Sensei questioned. I flinched. I hadn't expected that.

"Y-yes. But I'm so confused!" I confessed. "Whenever I'm near her I always get lost in her eyes or I'm worried about her or-"

"Zane. Zane, I believe you have fallen in love." Sensei told me.

"S-Sensei I do not have time for such a relationship!" I said quickly, my cheeks burning.

"Of course you do." Sensei replied smiling. "There is no threat to Ninjago at the moment, and I have not sensed of that sort either. You have plenty of spare time on your hands and you're already spending a lot of time with Crystal as it is." My face turned about as red as Kai's ninja suit if not redder.

"I-I'm not even sure if she feels that way towards me yet!" I stammered. I frowned. "And she might not even stay."

"Well, she will have to." Sensei told me. I looked at him, puzzled.

"Why?" I asked. "My feelings for her can't keep her here."

"No." Sensei answered. "But her destiny will. I have sensed a strong magic inside of her, and I believe she may be capable of helping all of you. She may even wear a ninja suit." My mouth dropped open.

"Crystal's a ninja!?" I gasped. Sensei Wu laughed.

"No." He answered. "She is not a true ninja. But she can be considered one. Even though she is not a true ninja like the rest of you, she may be able to help you in ways that Nya and I cannot. She could become the purple ninja of magic!"

* * *

"Sensei Wu, magic doesn't exist." Kai stated bluntly after Sensei explained the situation to the others.

"It could." Jay replied. "I mean, I like this idea! But what is considered magic anyway? And what's Crystal's weapon?"

"Crystal doesn't need a weapon." Sensei Wu replied. A chorus of 'what's and 'huh's followed his words.

"But then how will she fight!?" Cole asked, his voice full of worry.

"Her magic." Sensei Wu replied. "It is about as strong as your spinjitsu."

"Will Crystal learn spinjitsu too?" Lloyd asked, eyes wide in excitement. Of course he'd be happy. Crystal was like his older sister. And she was oddly protective of him as well. She shot glares at Kai whenever the fire ninja scolded Lloyd, and always was kind and sweet to the little green ninja.

"I think the real question is, will she even stay?" Nya piped up.

* * *

"Crystal." I said, walking over to her. It was the day after New Years, and everyone else had fallen asleep. "May I ask you something?"

"What's wr-" She saw the saddened look on my face. "It's about my decision, isn't it?" I nodded. I had asked her about what she was going to do a few days before, but she said she needed more time to think.

"Crystal. We need to know as soon as possible." I told her, walking a little closer. "I am deeply sorry for forcing this out of yo so soon after your recovery, but everyone is waiting. They are beginning to grow restless. I will understand your decision. I promise." Crystal took a deep breath before she told me exactly what she had decided to do.

**I am such a female dog for stopping here aren't I? Well, I need you to answer one simple question: Should Crystal stay, or should she leave? Sorry this was so short. It seemed like a bunch of one shots or something...Anyway, I need help! One, answer the question I just asked about Crystal's decision, and two, GIVE ME IDEAS FOR THE MAIN CONFLICT! PLEASE!**


	8. Hazel and the Self-Building Bridge

**Ok, thanks Serenity for actually reviewing. Here's a cookie! (::) For the rest of you that read this story and never review, NO COOKIES FOR YOU! Seriously. I would like to know what ya'll think of my stories. I put my stories up for others to enjoy, and I work on them WHEN I HAVE SPARE TIME. So I can't work on them 24/7. Anyway, I was actually planning on making Crystal stay anyway, I was just worried that none of you would like her. Anyway, I now have a conflict in mind that deals with the serpentine and pokemon. hint hint wink wink. It will be described in fuller detail later. As will Crystal's origins and past. But for now, how about we take a look at a new character? ;)  
**

**(sorry for any misspellings or mess ups. I had different names for the islands but I changed them into something somewhat fancier. And all the names that do not seem English, are in draconic. Don't try to use a normal Earth Language translator for them, it won't work.)  
**

**?'s P.O.V.  
**

Darkness. It was all I could see I couldn't remember much, but I knew a few things; I was somewhere dark and wherever it was, it was freezing, my partner was missing, my left eye was practically useless, and my name was Sor-

"GUYS GET OVER HERE!" Someone screamed, interrupting my thoughts. "I FOUND SOMEONE!" I forced myself not to open my eyes until I was sure they didn't mean me any harm.

"What is it?" A calmer voice asked, steadily getting louder. I could hear the crunch of snow. _No wonder it's so cold. _Another voice called out, this time a little more panicked than the other two.

"Is that a CHILD!? Is she hurt!? Dead!? Please tell me she's not dead!" _Well. At least whoever it is is actually worried about me._

"Jay. She's not dead. She's obviously breathing." How many people were there!? This time it came from someone who sounded like they had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

"We need to get her somewhere warm before she freezes!" Another voice said. This time the voice was more feminine, and was concerned, but not as panicked as 'Jay'.

"She doesn't appear to be hurt." _No shit Sherlock!_ "But she could have some internal injury we cannot see. Cole, get the branch off her." I opened my eyes when I felt a weight get lifted off me. The first thing I saw was a teenage boy with golden eyes and spiky brown hair staring at me. _Jordan?_ I thought. _No. Jordan's dead. And besides, __his hair wasn't so spiky. _That's when I noticed I was surrounded by a rainbow of ninjas _Gee. THAT'S always a nice thing to wake up to after Arceus knows what I've been through! _

"Are you alright?" The same voice asked. White ninja. The blue ninja had a panicked look in his eyes. _Jay._ And the black one set down a large branch, most likely the one that had pinned me down. _Cole_. A red ninja seemed to glare at me. _Almost-Jordan. _And then there was a purple ninja, a girl, who was hissing something to Almost-Jordan _Not like he's paying any attention to her._ I wanted to say 'Nooo. I like being knocked unconscious and then trapped under a friggen tree branch!' to the white ninja, but I held my tongue and forced out a different answer.

"I'm fine." I mumbled crossly.

"Nothing hurts?"

"No." _What __part of 'fine' do you not get!?_ The white ninja didn't look completely convinced, but I guess he knew better than to question me any further. He must have noticed the fact I wasn't exactly the most happiest person in the world.

"What's your name?" The Almost-Jordan asked, his voice a little calmer than before. _Maybe he did listen to the girl. But. I can't tell them my real name. I have to come up with something! _

"My name is Hazel." I answered, flinching away from the angry look in his eyes. Cole looked over at me.

"Where do you live? I'm sure your family is worried about you." He said. I wanted to say that I didn't have one, for they had been killed in a car crash a few months ago, but I decided not to. I didn't want to be sent to an orphanage, and it was best if they thought my family was alive.

"I don't remember." I lied, looking down sadly. The girl gave me a sympathetic look.

"Maybe you should come back with us for a while." She suggested. "I think it would be best for you to get out of the cold."

* * *

I had learned all of the ninjas names and personalities by the time my tour of the monastery was over. Jay, the blue ninja of lightning and a complete chatter box, was kinda fun to be around. But he got pretty annoying after a while. Cole was the black ninja of earth, the one who had found me. He was their leader and pretty nice. Almost-Jordan's real name was Kai. He was the red ninja of fire and he probably hated me. He had a really short temper from the looks of things, and I don't think he got along with the demon very well either. And then there was Zane, the white ninja of ice. He was calm and about as nice as Cole. Lloyd was the green ninja, master of all elements. He didn't talk to me so I didn't know him very well. Sensei Wu was pretty wise. But he kept giving me this weird look, like he knew who I was. Nya was Kai's sister. She was really nice to me as well. Crystal was the half demon. She was nice to me but didn't seem to trust the others except Zane and Nya. And maybe Sensei Wu. All of the ninjas had pokemon. _Wait. How do I know about the pokemon!? _Jay had a pichu, Cole had a sandshrew, Kai had a charmander, Lloyd had a riolu, and Zane had a kibago. And I swore I saw a little Vulpix sleeping on Nya's bed when we passed her room. I remembered having a partner. He was black with gold on him. That was all I could remember though. I couldn't remember his name or what he was. I wondered why Crystal didn't have a pokemon. Throughout the tour, I kept tripping and stumbling. Maybe I was danger prone or something.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

I was worried when we had found Hazel. I knew she couldn't have died. (Jay's panicking might have annoyed her to death had she not opened her eyes.) But in such cold weather hypothermia was a very serious possibility. She was small, but when she opened her eyes, I noticed she was much more mature than I would have thought. _She has probably lost someone..._ I thought. I knew that when a family member died, children often matured much quicker than others. I was relieved to find she was fine other than the fact she had a minor case of amnesia. While I was talking to Sensei Wu about her, he told me that she seemed to know about the pokemon. This caught me off guard for I thought that Crystal was the only one who knew of the pokemon. Crystal had decided to stay so she could help us if something happened to the pokemon, much to my relief. She seemed oddly protective of Lloyd and Hazel, which I thought was a natural instinct of some sort, but even demons weren't protective of children who were not their own young. And it was certainly not something she got from the human side of her. Maybe. I decided to not think about it too much. Besides, her protectiveness meant that she could keep an eye on them for us while the rest of us were busy. The others seemed to accept Hazel into the family as fast as they did Crystal. Cole seemed to have a bit of a brotherly relationship with the poor child more than anyone. Jay and Lloyd enjoyed playing with her and the pokemon, but Kai...Kai detested her.

"Zane." Crystal said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I hadn't noticed she walked into the room. I gave her a smile.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I wanted to know if you could do something about the Serpentine." She answered. I sighed. I knew this was coming.

"I'll try to see if I can talk to Pythor." I answered. Pythor was the one who decided signing a peace treaty was a good idea. I guess his brush with death from getting eaten by the great devourer had changed his mind about war. However when I walked out I noticed that Cole was walking up on Hazel from her left side. She didn't even notice him even though he was obviously in her line of sight. When he tapped her on the shoulder she leaped back, eyes wide in surprise. That's when I noticed the foggy haze over her left eye. It wasn't there before. I realized with a shock that perhaps Hazel could lose her sight in that eye for a short periods of time. The fog in her eye evaporated as she calmed down. Cole looked a little concerned as Hazel ran off. He glanced over at me, signalling that he had the same suspicion that I had. _Could Hazel possibly be half blind at some points?_

**Cole's P.O.V.**

When I saw that foggy haze in Hazel's eye I knew something was up. She flinched whenever someone reached out to her or snapped at her. I even saw her flinch when my shadow passed over her once. At first I was confused, but Kai and Jay convinced me that she was only a little jumpy from her amnesia. But I wasn't sure this was true. One thought spiraled in my mind endlessly. _Could Hazel had been abused at one point in her life?_ It sickened me to think this, but it seemed to be the only explanation. I let out an angered growl. Hazel had become like a little sister to me, and it hurt knowing she feared me. Though what also hurt was the fact she was always trying to get Kai to pay attention to her. What did he have that I didn't!? And didn't she see that Kai hated her!?

"Cole." I spun around to see Sensei Wu. "What has been troubling you?" I paled. So he had known?

"It's Hazel." I confessed angrily. "She's always trying to get Kai to pay attention to her despite the fact he hates her! She's like the little sister I never had and she fears me!"

"Perhaps she does not fear you but your strength." Sensei Wu said calmly.

"Huh?"

"She appears to know of your strength." Sensei continued. "She flinches when you reach out to her, but seems fine when you are speaking to her."

"I-I think she was a-abused." I stammered, worried about speaking my thoughts.

"I too believe this." Sensei sighed. "Though I wish it was not true. She flinches whenever anyone reaches out to her, even Lloyd. Unfortunately there is no true way to know if she was abused in her past for her amnesia prevents her from knowing anything. And I doubt it would be something she would wish to share with us, even if she could remember such horrid things." I had to agree. It was best for her not to remember that sort of stuff anyway. It would make her much too timid if she could remember those things. Though I couldn't help but wonder of her origins. And what was with the foggy haze in her eye?

**Zane's P.O.V.**

It didn't take long for me to get answers from Pythor. Apparently on the patrol he had sent into the forest, the leader had gone insane and ordered the rest of the snakes to kill the first living thing they saw, which just so happened to be Crystal. Luckily, during the skirmish, the snakes realized that their patrol leader had gone insane and killed him instead. But when they had tried to help Crystal, she hissed at them and ran away in fear that they would finish her off as well. I later confirmed this story to be true after explaining this to Crystal. I felt happy knowing that it was all just a simple accident caused by some madman-er madsnake- and that Crystal was perfectly safe. I was still quite worried though. Pythor had said something about hearing construction work around the beach late at night, though none of us really payed too much attention.

* * *

"Jay." Kai started. "I get what you're trying to say. But. BRIDGES CAN'T BUILD THEMSELVES OVERNIGHT!" All of us were at the beach staring at the apparently newly built bridge that led off the western coast of Ninjago. It wasn't there the day before, and no one had seen or heard anyone building it. It was quite sturdy though.

"But that's the only reasonable explanation!" Jay whined. "What could have built this bridge so fast anyway!?"

"Superman?" Lloyd guessed. Kai glared at the green ninja who shrank back. Crystal of course slapped Kai on the back of the head. Pythor and the other serpentine generals slithered over to us.

"I ssssee you have found the bridge assss well." Skaales said. We nodded. "Do any of you have a clue assss to where it even came from?" We all shook our heads.

"Well, this calls for some investigating then!" Pythor exclaimed. "Onwards to the other side!" We all exchanged unsure looks before following the snakes to the other side of the bridge. Even Jay was quiet. We soon came to a heavily forested area at the end of the bridge. Pythor was the first to go onto land, followed by Skaales and the other generals. The rest of us waited. Crystal was uncomfortably close to me, though I didn't mind all that much. My eyes were glued to the rustling bushes not too far away from where Pythor was slithering about. Suddenly, a little blue lizard-like creature with bright gold markings and red eyes came running out. It had what appeared to be a little tiara on it's head. It laughed and jumped onto Pythor and climbed onto his head. The look on his face caused almost everyone around me to laugh. Crystal merely smiled, eyes shining in recognition. I blinked. She knew this little creature?

"Ruby!" A voice called. "Ruby where are you!?" A large serpentine like creature slithered out of the bushes. It was longer than Pythor! Slightly, but still longer. Mouths dropped all around me. Except for Crystal.

"Erm. Hello." Pythor greeted. The snake looked up at the little blue lizard on his head.

"Ruby get of that poor snake's head!" The green snake snapped. 'Ruby' whined and complained as she climbed off Pythor. Crystal cracked a small smile and bowed her head.

"Hello King Serperior." She greeted the large snake. "How have you been lately? Princess Ruby still giving you trouble? It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Oh come now Crystal." 'King' replied. "You're about as royal as I am being 'Queen of the Monsters' and what not." I shot Crystal a confused look.

"I know. But you know I am not as regal as you. Your kind are born regal. Me? I'm just a half demon who somehow got a bunch of unruly monsters to listen to me." She said, ignoring me.

"You are still a queen." King pointed out. Crystal smiled.

"I know. But let's not talk about regal things like that. Let's focus on _why you built a bridge without telling anyone!_"

"Well, we became tired of waiting for a human to wash up on our shore and be able to go back to Ninjago with most of their sanity in tact, so we built a bridge instead." King explained. Crystal facepalmed and let out a sigh.

"King." She started. "You know that _I_ am perfectly sane and I've been going back and forth between _3 islands_ for the past _5 years_!" I blinked in shock. Why hadn't she told us this before? Did she not trust us? Was she worried about what we would do? _Well that at least explains the extent of her knowledge of the pokemon. _I thought. A sudden thought flashed through my mind momentarily.

"Excuse me." I said. All eyes turned towards me. "I was wondering if you knew how several eggs could have gotten to our home on a mountain a few miles away from here. They all hatched in to pokemon." King looked at me in shock.

"So _that__'s _what happened to the eggs that Inik was supposed to take to Soti!" He exclaimed. We all tilted our heads at him, except for Crystal.

"Who?" Lloyd asked.

"Inik is a Flygon who often flies messages between the three islands. Soti is where Crystal comes from, and the Pokemon Island is where all of us pokemon are from." King explained. "She was supposed to take some eggs to Soti because the poor things were orphans, and we expected Crystal to take care of them for a bit until the bridge was finished so we could work on building a Pokemon Orphanage along the western coast of Ninjago. Unfortunately, Inik got caught in a storm and she lost the eggs upon crashing into the side of a mountain. Luckily however, it seems the eggs somehow found their way into your home where they could hatch safely. Unfortunately, they believe all of you are their parents."

"Wait. How are Mist, Avalon, and Flora?" Crystal asked, concern flashing in her eyes.

"They went looking for you after Halloween reported you missing after you never returned from your last visit to us a few weeks ago. Lapras carried them out to Ninjago. I don't know where their whereabouts are though. Inik broke her wing and had to almost crawl back to the beach, and Vrevel is busy taking care of his newly hatched son. All the bird pokemon are nesting so we don't have any trackers." King answered.

"Zane." Crystal said hopefully, looking over at me. "Could your falcon look for them?"

"I'll try to see if he can." I answered. "I'm not quite sure if he'll be up to looking for some creatures he's never seen before in such cold weather, but I can try." Crystal whispered a 'Thank you' before turning back to King.

"If the Falcon is unable to find them, we'll have to find another way of looking for them." She told the large snake. "Perhaps Kepesk would be up to the task. He's got one of the most powerful noses of all the mightyena I've met." King nodded.

"I'll see if he can find some time to help. His pack has been so busy lately with the arrival of Kepesk's nephew Fang, they haven't had much time to think about tracking down something unless it's food." Crystal stifled a laugh.

"Wait." Kai finally spoke up. "We need to discuss this with the Mayor of Ninjago City first of all." Crystal lashed her tail.

"Very well." She said. I was surprised. She sounded a little older. "You can do that. I'll head off to see if I can arrange a some trackers to help the Falcon with his search." Without another word she ran off.

"Can I go with you?" Ruby asked. I had almost forgotten the little pokemon was there.

"No! Most certainly not!" King replied. "It's too dangerous out there!"

"Dear, she can take care of herself." Another serperior, a female and a different color than King, slithered into the open. "She can go if she wants to."

"No!" King retorted, hugging his daughter. "Never! It's too dangerous out there for her! I am not going to risk loosing my daughter!"

"King, she'll have those brave ninja to look after her." King's wife replied. "She'll be perfectly safe."

"No, no, and no again!" King insisted. "She's not going and that's final!"

"But Da!" Ruby whined. "It's so _boring_ here! I've explored every bit and piece of this island and there's never anything to do anymore! I want to go explore Ninjago with the ninjas!" King's face turned into a mixture of shock and sadness as Ruby squirmed out of his arms and ran over to Pythor.

"Go on ahead." King's wife told us. "I'll get him back to the Palace." She flicked her tail at King, who's face seemed to have been frozen in that sad-shocked look. "He'll be fine, he's just having another one of his emotional break down. Arceus knows what will happen when Ruby's a _teenager!_" She dragged her husband away-whose expression never changed-and disappeared among the tightly packed trees and thick bushes of the forest.

* * *

I decided to go back to the Monastery and wait for Crystal, knowing she probably wouldn't even think about going along the outskirts of Ninjago City without one of us with her. Ruby refused to come back with me and went with the others to go see the Mayor. She kept asking questions about what a city or car was. Pokemon must not see those kinds of things on their island. Sensei found an old map and showed me Soti and Tolgalen. Both were almost the size of Ninjago. Tolgalen had some villages, but was mostly wild woodland and high reaching mountains, large lakes, fierce rivers, and even some harsh deserts. **(think of the map from PMD: Explorers of Sky)** Soti was only slightly smaller than Tolgalen. But it was shrouded in mist and it's features were next to impossible to see. When the others got back, Crystal still had not returned. Cole was carrying a sleeping Ruby.

"She fell asleep on the way back." He told me before I could ask. "And surprisingly, the Mayor thought it was a great idea for Ninjago and Tolgalen to be connected. He's a little unsure of Soti though. I think he's worried about the monsters that live there. Has Crystal come back yet? And where's Hazel?"

"No." I answered. "She hasn't returned. I am beginning to get worried. And Hazel fell asleep on the couch so I carried her to her room." Cole gave me a concerned look.

"Have you told abou-" Cole started.

"No. I have not been able to tell her that I was once an android." I said quickly, cutting him off.

"Ninjroid." Jay corrected, walking by. Cole rolled his eyes.

"Still. She'll get angry if you don't tell her." He warned me. I let out a sigh.

"I know." I mumbled. "But what will she think when I _do _tell her?" Cole stayed quiet for a moment.

"There's only one way to find out." He said, walking away. _Yes. I know._ I thought. _But will it end in a good or bad way?_

**Draconic translations: Soti=Monster, Tolgalen=Island, Inik=Sand, Vrevel=Talon,Kepesk=storm. **

**And before you ask, no, nothing happened to Crystal. She's just taking her time. That and she probably keeps getting tangled in vines. XD ****Anyway, what do you think she'll say/think/do when Zane reveals he was once a ninjroid? And if you review, you will get a cookie. But...before you say anything...****FOR ARCEUS SAKE DO NOT TELL ME TO HURRY UP AND FINISH/UPDATE ANY OF MY STORIES! I GET IT! I CAN'T DO THIS 24/7 AND FINALS WERE THIS WEEK SO I BARELY HAD ANY TIME TO WORK OR GET IDEAS THIS WEEK! IF YOU SAY HURRY UP AND FINISH/UPDATE SO HELP ME I WILL SLAP YOU WITH THE FISH MY DADDY CAUGHT EARLIER! ****(and yes. I did say 'Daddy.' I'm a redneck. Deal with it.)**


	9. Crystal's Past

**Well. I need to answer some things real quick before we start the next chapter.  
**

**Pain in the back- Who said it was ending? This my friend is only the very beginning. ;) Have a cookie! (::)  
**

**Dragonsrule- Actually, I was originally planning on them being turned into pokemon in this Fanfic, but I changed it at the last minute. Crystal *SPOILER ALERT* And they'll be *SPOILER ALERT* Hope that helps! Here's a cookie! (::)  
**

**But yeah. Crystal does have some magic in her(being the purple ninja of magic and all that) but she also has her weaknesses. Which will be explained in this chapter. Basically we're just getting more into Crystal's personality and maybe even Hazel's role in this story. At first I was planning on her just being there to be the comic relief, but I realized that part was taken by Jay, and just having her appear the hell out of nowhere without any explanation like I originally planned might create plot holes. (I was actually thinking on doing a contest about her back story and what not. I'll do that with another character later.)  
**

**Zane's P.O.V.  
**

Crystal came walking in cursing in draconic. I blinked, concerned of what could be bothering her.

"Crystal, is something wrong?" I asked. She glanced at me, her sapphire colored eyes dark in worry.

"N-no. Everything is just f-" She was cut off by a loud scream. Her ears laid back and her eyes widened in horror. "Aka!" She rushed off towards the scream, leaving me to wonder who Aka was. I shook my head and quickly ran after her. When I was finally able to catch her, I grabbed her wrist gently.

"Crystal you must be careful." I warned her. "It could be a trap." Crystal kept looking out into the forest, barely paying much attention to me.

"Aka's in danger, I have to help him!" She tore herself from my grip, but I wrapped my arms around her waist. She squirmed for a bit, but eventually gave up after she realized I was too strong for her. I weakened my grip so I wouldn't harm her while I tried to sooth her.

"Crystal, if you insist on going, then I must come with you." I told her. She nodded and I released her, ready to grab her should she bolt again. This time however, she walked. I followed her silently.

"Flame said he would protect him." I heard her mutter.

"Who are Aka and Flame?" I asked, unable to hold the question back any longer. Crystal glanced at me.

"My brothers." She answered flatly. I tilted my head.

"I thought you were the last in your line." I said. Crystal's tail twitched.

"I did." She replied. "They're my _adopted_ brothers. As far as they know, I can't remember anything about my real family, or if I'm even adopted. Which unfortunately is not true." As she finished, the ground sloped and she nearly fell. I was able to catch her and pull her back up, but I refused to let go of her until I knew it was safe. I slowly released her as she peered over the edge. The small cliff let into a ditch that had to only be around ten feet deep. But I could see someone at the bottom of it.

"Is that Aka?" I asked, motioning to the small child. Whoever he was, he had short red hair that turned black at the tips, and small cat ears with silver tips. His tail was red with a silver band of fur around the middle, and a silver tip. Crystal paled as she noticed him.

"AKA!" She screamed. I had to grab her yet again, to prevent her from throwing herself into the ditch. The walls were much to steep for her to climb back up. Aka opened his eyes and looked up at us.

"Crystal?" He called. "Get me out of here!" I looked around for a vine or stick, anything that could help. Suddenly, a thick curl of rope smacked me in the face. I looked up to see someone disappear into the trees. I lowered the rope for Aka to grab, and I slowly pulled him back up, warning Crystal to stay back should the ground below me break. Crystal hugged her little brother tightly, scolding him for not being careful. I decided not to point out that she nearly had fallen in as well. Another cat demon walked out, eyes blazing furiously. He had short orange hair that turned red at the tips. His ears were orange with small red tips, and his tail was similar to Crystal's. Only orange and red instead of aqua and blue. _Do all cat demons have such strange colored fur? _I thought. He glanced at Crystal silently for a moment.

"Crystal, is that you?" He finally asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Hello Flame." Crystal greeted. "It's me, don't worry. I'm fine." Flame let out a relieved sigh. Then he noticed me and his eyes blazed in anger yet again.

"Who the hell is this!?" He snapped. "You befriended a _human_!? I thought you knew better than that!" _Nice to meet you too asshole. _I thought.

"_Now Zane, he's merely protective of his younger sister. Adopted or not._" The Guardian's voice rang in my ears.

"He saved my life!" Crystal retorted.

"_They certainly had a lovely relationship with one another." _I smiled slightly. I watched the two siblings bicker until Aka walked over to me.

"Did you really save my sister?" He asked.

"Aka!" Flame snapped. "Get away from him! He's dangerous!" I narrowed my eyes at Flame's comment.

"Yes. I found her half dead in a cave and helped her." I answered. "And you are about as dangerous to me as I am to you. But I, at least, am not racist." I glared at Flame, who growled and looked like he was about ready to attack me. I knew I had struck a nerve with him.

"RACIST!?" He roared. "Come over hear and say that to my face!" I smirked.

"I already have. Or is your skull really _that_ thick?" I teased. I heard the sound of Crystal and Aka snickering. Flame was shaking in fury.

"You little-" Crystal cut off her older brother.

"FLAME!" She snapped. "Aka's here! Watch your mouth!" Flame growled some curses before glaring at me again.

"Do you really think I'll let you go near _my_ sister!?" He growled. I stayed silent, knowing the answer. "Come on Crystal. We're leaving."

"No." Crystal stated, walking over to me. "I'm not leaving with you. I'm staying with Zane."

"He's a _human_!"

"And I am half human. But do you hate me?" Silence. "That's what I thought."

"You're also half demon!" Flame retorted after a few seconds. "He's completely human!" I decided to take the chance to tell Crystal my secret.

"I wasn't always human." I said. All three of the siblings looked at me. "I was once an android. But, there was an...accident that caused me to change into a human." Crystal didn't say anything, but I could tell she was upset with me for not telling this to her sooner.

"It doesn't matter." Flame growled. "I forbid you from going near my sister!"

"You're not my father!" Crystal snapped. "You can't control my life! Besides you aren't even my real brother! If you keep acting like this, then have no wish to be a part of your family any longer! I have a new family now. One that doesn't care about a creature's race, or how they look. You may take Aka back home with you, but he is the only brother I have as of now." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away. Flame paled and his eyes were wide in shock.

"Take Aka with you." He told me. I blinked in surprise. "I don't trust you, but Aka ran off to find Crystal. He'll do it again. I may visit, I may not." He began to walk away. Aka looked up at me and back at Flame.

"Flame wait!" He called, trying to run over to him. I wanted to stop the little demon, but I feared I would frighten him.

"No Aka." Flame told him. "I'll visit you when I can. It's best if you go with Crystal." I could tell he was on the brink of tears. He didn't want to abandon his little brother to a group of humans he knew nothing about, but he had to if Aka were to stay safe with Crystal. Aka stopped and stared at him.

"I'll make sure he stays safe." I told Flame. "Besides, we have a kid around his age back home. His name is Lloyd, and I'm sure he and Aka will get along well." Flame nodded and ran off so Aka couldn't follow him. I let out a sad sigh. I shouldn't have come with Crystal. I had torn her family apart.

* * *

When I was finally able to convince Aka to come back with me, Crystal rejoined us. She had most likely watched us in secret, waiting for her chance to return. Aka was clearly trapped in mixed emotions. He was happy to be with his sister, but upset and sad that Flame had abandoned him and Crystal had clearly shown she did not wish to be called Flame's sister any longer.

"Maybe it's best if you go back." I suggested sadly. "If I had not come with you-"

"I refuse to go back. And it is not your fault." Crystal muttered crossly. "It's Flame's. He's always trying to ruin whatever happiness I have. He always has. Besides, we never got along anyway." I wasn't sure to be worried by this or relieved she did not blame me.

"Crystal why would your element be magic?" I asked her out of nowhere. Crystal blinked.

"I can change forms at will." she answered. "It's something my old friend taught me. The one who taught me draconic. He also taught me how to use a little bit of dragon healing magic. That's why I always had that gem with me. Without it I would lose my powers. If I'm badly injured I can't change forms, and healing saps my energy. If I use the healing magic for too long or too much in a short amount of time, it has a chance of killing me if not causing me to pass out."

* * *

The moment we got back, we were bombarded with questions about Aka. I left Crystal to answer them while I watched Aka and Lloyd begin to spend time together. Hazel walked over to say hello and introduce herself as well.

"Am I the only one who noticed we're getting overrun with kids?" Jay asked.

"Nope." Cole answered. "I noticed it too."

"What will we do about Hazel?" Kai asked. "I don't really mind her staying here anymore, she at least keeps Lloyd out of our way now, but what if her parents are worried sick and looking for her?" No one answered him. None of us liked to think about that, especially Cole. Aka's ears twitched as he strained to listen to Hazel. Hazel was often speaking softly and none of us could hear her very well most of the time. I couldn't think of a time where she ever raised her voice at anyone. Crystal grabbed my hand and led me away from everyone.

"What is wrong?" I asked. Crystal looked around to make sure no one was watching us.

"I decided you at least should know what happened." She answered. "I wasn't always like I am now. I used to be part of a family on the border of the High class and Middle class. My parents had a lot of enemies, but they refused to move. The area where we lived was the only one who would allow any sort of demon to live there without many problems. But people still hated us. It didn't take long for anyone to realize I had been born. The moment I learned to walk there was no stopping me from running off. Everyone got to know me very well, but I don't think many of them liked me all that much because of who I was. My life was normal for a short amount of time. Until I turned seven. On my seventh birthday someone broke into the house and killed my parents. I had tried to run away that night because I was angry for some reason. I can't remember the reason now though. When I went back my parents were dead and the murderer had gotten away. I ran away in fear that I would be next and ended up tripping and cutting my shoulder open. I blacked out after that and the next thing I knew I was in a bed in a small house. Aka was a newborn then and Flame was nine years old. Their parents had found me unconscious by the river, somehow half drowned and brought me back. I stayed there for most of my life. To be honest, I lost track of time. I'm not sure how old I am now." I stared at her in complete shock. I knew she had suffered a lot in her past, but not quite like that! I knew she was still hiding something from me. I decided not to mention it. After all, everyone has their secrets. I hugged her gently before we went back to the others.

When we got back, I noticed Kai was staring at something in the trees. I followed his gaze and saw someone around our age sitting on a branch. She had a white mask over her face and was dressed in all black. She had a black cape that waved in the breeze.

"Who are you?" Kai called.

"My detective name is Moon Song." The person answered, smirking. Jay let out a cry of shock and disbelief.

"No way!" He cried. "The famous detective!? The Phantom of The Night!?" Moon Song let out a laugh.

"Tis I." She replied.

"Give us your real name." Kai growled fiercely.

"Sorry fireball!" Moon Song jeered. "My identity is hidden within my name!" A puff of smoke engulfed her, and when it cleared, she was gone.

"Damn that detective." I heard Kai hiss. "Thinking she's all that just because she's famous. If anything she's stealing our thunder!"

"I can't believe I got to meet _The_ Moon Song!" Jay squealed.

"Well. She certainly has a lot of tricks up her sleeve." Cole observed. I nodded in agreement.

"What do you think she meant by 'My identity is hidden within my name'?" I asked.

"I've heard of Moon Song on my travels between Soti and Tolgalen." Crystal told us. "They say that her detective name is a translation of her real name, which is two words in two different languages."

"Great." Kai muttered. "So we look for someone who was born seventeen or eighteen years ago whose name is made up of two different languages and translates into 'Moon Song'. _That_ will be easy." Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Of course not." She said. "Moon Song is always hiding in plain sight. She likes to leave clues for people interested in finding her secret identity. All we have to do is look." She walked over to the tree and pulled out a slip of paper from a small hollow in the trunk. "See? She already left us our first clue."

"What does it say?" Kai asked, eager to outwit the famous detective.

"'Look all you want ninjas, but unless you look to the sky you shall never know my name'" Crystal read. There was utter silence for a moment.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?" Cole, Jay, and Kai shouted. I heard the kids snicker. Nya walked out and Crystal quickly explained to her what was going on.

"'Look to the sky'..." I looked up. "Wait. The moon is full tonight." I said. The others looked up.

"So?" Kai asked. "We know a part of her name means moon. What about it?"

"The full moon is said to make animals act strangely." Crystal muttered. Her eyes narrowed. "What languages have been spoken in Ninjago?"

"Snake, English, Draconic, Pokemon, and I believe Japanese was once used." I answered. "Why?"

"Tsuki means moon in Japanese, correct?" The others nodded. "The pokemon have only recently showed up, so it can't be that. And Welun is the Draconic word for moon, but it is only used for males. The snake language is just hissing, and of course it isn't English."

"So the only thing it could be is either Draconic or English!" Kai said.

"Or Japanese." Cole added. "Meaning the first part of her name is Tsuk- HOLY!" Cole fell back as an arrow zipped pass him and imbedded itself in the ground. Attacked to it was another note. This time, I read it.

"'Good job finding the first part of my name! But the next one is tricky! Only one who knows the language of a beast of all the elements may know it!'"

"'Beast of all the elements?'" Lloyd asked. "What creature like that exists?"

"Arceus for one. He's the god of all pokemon and can change his type at will." Crystal replied. "But we already ruled that out. So that leaves draconic. Dragons can control elements, and the king of the dragons can control all of the elements."

"What's the draconic word for song?" Cole asked.

"Miirik."

A cold silence hung in the air. Tsuki Miirik.

"Holy. Shit." Cole muttered.

**Aaaaand a cliffhanger! Anyway, we'll get to what Tsuki and Cole's relationship is next chapter. Sorry for the shortness of it all, but hey. At least you now know Crystal's past. And yeah. the ninjas are getting overrun with kids. XD And there's two more kids they have yet to meet too! But unlike the three amigos there, they'll be minor characters. by the way, please review. The only reason I continued any of my stories is because people review. If no one reviews, I feel like no one likes it and that no one would care if I deleted or cancelled the story.  
**


	10. Failed Adventures

**I honestly don't have much to say here except. *gives everyone who reviewed cookies* (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)  
**

**And I feel so honored being someone's favorite author!**

**So. Let's get on with the next chapter!  
**

**Zane's P.O.V**

"I knew her back at my home town!" Cole exclaimed. "Well. Sort of. She was always full of herself and way too clever for her own good."

"So it's not surprising she became a detective?" Jay asked.

"Actually, it is." Cole answered flatly. "She was so squeamish she couldn't handle looking at a little paper cut. And murder victims like the ones she looks at..." He trailed off after he remembered the kids were there.

"I'm used to seeing blood." Aka shrugging. "It's common for us demons."

"Concerning the fact that I'm living with a bunch of teenagers, I'm used to practically everything." Lloyd added. I had to disagree with that one. He hasn't seen _everything_ just yet, though I understood his point.

"Never bothered me. I've threatened to strangle one or two people before." Hazel said. She got some stares for that. "What? I have."

"Well, at least you're honest." Cole muttered.

"So you two were friends?" Kai asked him.

"Enemies is more like it." Cole replied, his eye twitching in anger.

"I think it's about time we all go to bed." Nya suggested.

* * *

For some odd reason, I couldn't fall asleep. I looked outside of the window to stare at the eerie light of the full moon. I blinked. Full moon. A small scene flashed through my mind.

_"The full moon is said to make animals act strangely." Crystal muttered. Her eyes narrowed._

_Why was she so worried about the moon? _I thought. _Could the same thing happen to pokemon and monsters?_ I heard the sound of claws tapping on a wooden floor. I sat up quickly and looked around. A small shadow in the corner of my eye made me turn my head. There was nothing there. I shook my head. _It must be the moon._ I thought. _It's just playing tricks on my mind._ But the claws didn't stop. They gradually became louder. I heard a knock at the door, and I suddenly was aware of my heart pounding against my chest.

"Zane!" I heard Jay call. "Get up! Someth-" His voice was abruptly cut off by a scream. I shot out of bed and quickly opened the door. Jay looked about as terrified as I felt. Crystal ran over to us moments later, tail puffed up to nearly twice it's normal size. Cole was right behind her.

"What's going on!?" Jay screamed.

"I don't know!" Crystal answered.

"BY THE POWERS OF ALMIGHTY GOD I COMMAND THEE TO LEAVE!" I heard hazel screech. Moments later a large green spider ran passed us. Everyone except for Crystal had What-in-the-hell-was-that-thing looks on their faces.

"That was a little Spinarak." Crystal told them. I felt a little ashamed about being afraid of a pokemon.

"_Do not worry Zane. It is common to be afraid of spiders._" The Guardian's voice taunted me.

"I wish you would leave me alone." I growled. Crystal looked over at me.

"Something wrong?" She asked, eyes flashing in worry. The others looked over at me.

"Remember that kitsune we saw at the shrine?" I asked them. Crystal stared at me, puzzled. "The white one with a tear drop shaped spot on it's head and the swirl pattern on it's tail."

"Oh yeah!" Jay exclaimed. "The stalker!" Crystal looked absolutely shocked.

"W-What!?" She asked. "But the Elemental Kitsunes have been thought to be dead! They can't be alive!"

"Eh?" Kai asked. "Elemental Kitsunes?"

"There are nine of them." Crystal began to explain. "Fire, Ice, Electricity, Water, Light, Earth, Life, Wind, and Magic. Long ago they helped in the battle against the serpentine. At that time Tolgalen and Soti were working with the humans to rid the land of those once vile creatures. However it was believed in the final battle, all of them lost their lives. After that the bridges connecting the two islands to Ninjago fell into the sea for unknown reasons. Humans slowly began to forget about the pokemon and most of the monsters."

"Well apparently, they're still alive, for the kitsune refuses to leave me alone. She keeps talking to me in my head, and it's beginning to irritate me." Zane said. Crystal smiled.

"They'll do that." She let out a sigh. "The one who is speaking to you is Yuki, the Kitsune of Ice. I would not be surprised if the Kitsune of your element began to speak with you as well. Once you meet them that is."

* * *

**Hazel's P.O.V.**

I sat upon the roof of the monastery as I looked up at the full moon. It felt natural doing this, as if I had done it before. I shook my head, wishing I could remember my past better. I knew I could trust the ninjas, but I still couldn't tell them my real name.

"Hey up there!" I looked down to see Aka and Lloyd looking up at me, with happy looks on their faces. Next to them was Aurora. I climbed down from the roof.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We're heading off on an adventure!" Aka whispered.

"Why?" I tilted my head to one side in confusion.

"Cause we're bored." Lloyd answered. "Now come on. Let's go before someone-"

"Where do you think _you're _going?" We all turned around to find Nya.

"Popsicles." I heard Lloyd say. "RUUUUN!" The three of us took off into the forest, laughing.

"Get back here!" I hear Nya call. After a while we stopped.

"So what are we _really_ doing?" I panted.

"Going to find Atlas. Then we're really going on an adventure!" Aka explained.

"Who's Atlas?" Lloyd and I both asked in perfect unison.

"A friend. He's a wolf demon!" Aka told them happily.

"Hey." We looked over at a bush. "I'm here." A wolf demon jumped out from behind the bush, only to get snagged on a branch. We laughed as we helped him get untangled. Then we got snagged by an older wolf demon.

"What are you kids up to?" He asked. "It's dangerous out here in the middle of the night! And do you realize how upset Raven is!?" He looked over at Atlas who was pouting.

"We were so bored!" Lloyd whined. "The ninjas, Nya, and Crystal don't let us have any fun!" The demon's ears twitched.

"Crystal? Is she a half demon?" He asked. Lloyd nodded. "Well...I have to take all of you home. And as for Atlas. He's grounded."

"What!?" Aka cried. "You can't do that to me!"

"I just did." Akuma stated calmly. "And if I can't, Raven surely can." We were forced to follow him as he led us back to the monastery where the ninjas were talking with Nya.

"Aw man..." Lloyd muttered. "Everyone's there..."

"Hey!" Akuma called. Everyone looked over at him. "I found your troublesome little kids wandering around in the woods."

"Akuma!?" Crystal asked. Akuma gave her a small smile. Zane looked sad for a moment.

"Hi Crysty." Akuma greeted.

"I told you not to call me that!" Crystal snapped. Akuma laughed a bit.

"Sorry to just show up randomly and then leave, but I have to get him back to Raven." He pointed his tail at Atlas who was still pouting.

"You're not my dad!" Atlas snapped. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"No, but I am dating your sister." Akuma told the demon child. "So I have a right to-" He shut his mouth and looked over at Crystal, who seemed calm.

"It's fine." She explained. Insert happy Zane here, "I've moved on as well." Aaaand now insert devastated Zane here. It's a good thing Crystal wasn't looking at him. Akuma and Atlas continued to bicker as they left.

"You three are grounded." Crystal said, giving us a stern look.

"Fine." I grumbled. "It's not like we did anything anyway."

"She has a point." Aka agreed. "You guys never let us do anything!"

"Mainly because Lloyd's training and Hazel's locked herself up in her room like a little hermit." Kai responded, walking away.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

I let out a sigh of relief as the kids were brought back safely, though my emotion swiftly changed from relived to devastated as Crystal and Akuma shared a short conversation. My heart shattered as Crystal explained that she had already moved on.

"Crystal." I whispered while we were to our rooms. Completely alone. "Who is it that has stolen your heart?"

"Oh, someone." She answered.

"Crystal. I would like it if you would give me a straight answer." I informed her. She smiled slightly.

"I'll tell you in time, rumag." She answered. I blinked.

"Rumag?" I echoed. "What does that mean?" I had a vague felling it was draconic.

"It's a draconic word. Though, I will not tell you what it means." Crystal teased.

"Crystal." I said sternly. She let out a sigh.

"I cannot tell you as of yet." She told me. "It...It's not the right time for you to know."

_Guardian Yuki, help me._ I pleaded.

"_I am afraid I cannot._" Yuki responded lightly. "_I'm sure you will like the meaning, thought it is not a_ _matter of the right time for you to know. It is a matter of her being ready to tell you._" I mentally sighed.

"Alright." I told Crystal. "I can wait." Crystal nodded and sped up, obviously not wanting to be near me in case I changed my mind.

"_Zane. Tell her what is on your mind._" Yuki ordered.

"Crystal." I called. She looked back at me. "If you ever need help with something, don't be afraid to ask." She blinked in confusion before walking into her room and shutting the door.

* * *

**?'s P.O.V.**

"Where is Ryna?" I asked the King.

"I'm not sure!" King responded. "One moment she's here and the next, POOF! She's gone off the radar!"

"Have Mist, Avalon, and Flora returned from their quest yet?" I questioned.

"Yes. They have. They are all relieved to find Crystal alive and well." King answered. "Though something bothers me about the footage. Right after she stepped off the bridge of ninjago, a small shadow appeared behind her and the camera was shut off." He showed me the footage. I paused it right as the shadow appeared and zoomed in.

"Great Arceus is that what I think it is?" I breathed in horror. King nodded, obviously in shock.

"Send for Mist!" He called. "We must warn Crystal of this phenomenon! The Shadow Pokemon have returned!"

**Oh yeah. I went there. I brought in Shadow Pokemon. Anyway, sorry for the shortness, and. I HAVE A CONTEST! Whoever can guess what 'rumag' means will get cake,(via PM of course.), and during a festival on Tolgalen, I will add pokemon OCs into it for brief Cameos. (and they may or not become minor characters.) Anyone can guess, and it will be up until Crystal explains. BUT there are rules. First, NEVER TELL ANYONE WHAT IT MEANS. Second, be fair to others if you got it right and they didn't once the contest is over. You'd be a cyber bully if you did that. And the reason I'm saying to not tell anyone, is because it's spoilerish. Meaning I will not acknowledge the fact you got it right unless you say it via PM. (though I will still give you cake via PM. XD) And I will tell you if you are close to the actual meaning. Please do review. I am not getting as many reviews as I used to. I don't know why this is, and I KNOW more people are reading this story. And finally, and explanation for Raven and Atlas. They are not actually my characters, they belong to a friend. I know about the 'Not accepting any OCs' thing, but, this was an exception. Because 1, she didn't ask for them to be in here, and 2, I didn't really want Akuma to be forever alone. I a****lready have a character for that. (and surprise surprise, it's not Flame.)**

**And I am dearly sorry for those who do not have accounts. I would love nothing more than to give you cake as well, but meh. I'll give it to ya once Crystal explains. **

**Cole: Cake? Did I hear Cake?**

**Go away Cole, you're not getting any.**

**Cole: *sulks***

**Oi. Anyway, next chapter you get to not only see a pokemon battle, but also get to see the antics of the ninjas as they get chased by an angry horde of beedrills.**

**Ninjas: WHAT!?**

**Until then, be patient and review!  
**


	11. Purification and Realizations

**Well, so far no one has gotten the right meaning for Rumag. Yet. I know someone will figure it out. Eventually. Anyway, on to the next chapter. So let's start out with a little bit of fluff. |D  
**

**BTW: I know many of you may or may not pay attention to these little things at the beginning and end(I usually don't unless it's absolutely important), but do read the one at the end of the chapter please. It is quite important. It also has some original ideas for this chapter. (and those might explain why it took so long to do this. XD)**

**Kai's P.O.V.  
**

"Kai. Kai get up." I opened my eyes to see Hazel, I sat up and looked at the clock on my dresser. It was 2:45 a.m.

"What?" I growled, irritated that she woke me up so early.

"I had a nightmare." Hazel answered. I shot her an annoyed look. So her reason for waking me up was just a bad dream? Why didn't she go to Zane or Sensei Wu for that!? Why me!?

"It was just a dream. Go back to bed and leave me in peace." I grumbled, pulling my blanket over my head, in hopes of muffling her voice.

"No it wasn't!" Hazel protested "I've had this dream before and every time I've had it something terrible happens!" I pulled the blanket off me and stared at her in confusion.

"Why so superstitious?" I questioned. She paled and looked down.

"I'm not superstitious." She answered. "I just- When I had it last time-" I narrowed my eyes as she broke off.

"Hazel. What do you remember of your past?" I asked her coldly. She paled even more.

"Only I had this nightmare shortly before someone died." She whispered. I didn't think I could be more surprised, until I heard what she had to say next. "And when my brother got sick."

"You had a brother?" I asked. I believed him to be her younger brother, but of course, I was wrong.

"Y-yeah...he was a few years older than me." She whimpered. "He got sick...and on the way to the hospital they got into a wreck..." I sat up, worried about her. She was shivering.

"They made it out fine. Right?" I asked, hopeful it didn't end tragically. She shook her head. What bothered me the most, is that she wasn't crying. Even I got tears in my eyes when I spoke of my parents' deaths, but she...Hazel didn't even get a single tear in her eye. I noticed that milky haze in her left eye was beginning to form again. I had heard about it from Cole and Zane, and they feared she was somewhat half blind. I merely scoffed and rolled my eyes, claiming they were wrong. If only I was right about that. I pulled her into a hug.

"Th-thanks Jordan." I heard her whisper. I gave her a puzzled look.

"'Jordan'?" I echoed. "Hazel, my name isn't Jordan. It's Kai. Remember?" Hazel looked at me, obviously confused by what I meant, before she shook her head and the strange fog in her eye disappeared.

"S-sorry." She said. "Y-you just remind me of him." I thought for a few moments before I realized that Jordan must have been her brother. I gently patted her head.

"Fine. You can stay with me for tonight, but just this once. Ok?" I whispered. Hazel nodded, smiling slightly.

The next morning, I was taking a walk through the forest, thinking about Hazel's past. Would we have to take her to an orphanage now that we knew she was alone? I shook my head. We couldn't. Not before we got any answers of what caused her to get her amnesia in the first place.

"Hey Kai!" Jay ran over to me, "HELP ME!" As he ran past, the buzzing began. Faint at first, it gradually grew louder, until I saw a horde of angry bee-like monsters with large spears for hands flying in my direction, eyes blazing in fury. I chased after Jay, knowing those things would attack me if I hadn't.

"What the hell did you do to piss those things off!?" I snapped at him.

"I don't know!" Jay wailed. "I accidentally stepped on something and then it started crying and the next thing I know those _things_ are trying to murder me!" I shot him an enraged glare as we continues to run as fast as our human legs could carry us. But the angry buzzing stopped abruptly, making Jay stop, and causing me to run in to him.

"A little warning would be nice." I growled. Jay wasn't looking at me though. He was looking over at a figure who was standing with their back to us. Their build seemed like a girl, but from the strange shells the person was holding, it reminded me of a Samurai, which were mostly male. My sister being an exception of course. The person had a jacket with golden pockets around tied around their waist, light blue tank-top and pants. They were wearing long black boots, as well as black fingerless gloves that stopped near their elbows. The person had a ponytail of some sort that was held up with a black band. **(think Riza from FMA) **The thing that really got my attention, was their long rectangular dark blue-almost black-tail. It was somewhat flat as well, reminding me of a beaver's tail. Their ears were set closer to the top of his/her head and they were triangular like a cat's ears, but obviously smaller, and the same color as their tail. The bee-monsters turned to one another, buzzing in confusion. The person's shells were beginning to glow, and the glow quickly turned into blades of light. The bees realized their mistake and fled the scene, buzzing. The person put the shells back in the pockets of the jacket as the glow dissolved into the air. The person turned to us, silver eyes seemingly staring into our soul. I was taken aback by the fact the person was in fact a girl.

"Who are you?" The girl asked us, with a strange accent I couldn't recognize. Her hands never leaving her pockets. I could tell she was uneasy. She was obviously tensed up, and her eyes swiftly looked around every few seconds, checking to see if she was going to be ambushed.

"My name is Kai. I'm the red ninja of Fire." I answered. "The mindless idiot next to me is Jay, the blue ninja of Lightning. Thanks for saving us. And you are?" I held out my hand, ignoring the angry cries of protest from Jay. The girl looked at me for a moment before timidly shaking my hand. I gave her a reassuring smile, and she seemed to calm down somewhat.

"Ryna. My name is Ryna." She answered.I noticed a small scar on her left cheek. She must have noticed me staring, for she cracked a small smile. "I got this scar from a training accident, not from some heroic battle."

"I got mine from falling out of a tree." I chuckled a bit as I remembered my foolishness from when I was a child.

"I was testing one of my inventions when I got mine!" Jay piped up. Ryna let out a soft giggle.

"Kai! Jay!" Ryna tensed up once more, and spun around, reaching for her pockets. I gently grabbed her wrist and she shot me a look as if I had betrayed her. I slowly removed my hand from her wrist.

"It's ok." I said. "It's just our leader, Cole." Ryna calmed down, but I could tell if she was still tense. Cole ran over with Zane and Lloyd not far behind. Ryna tilted her head, confused.

"That's Zane, the ninja of Ice, and Lloyd, master of all the elements!" Jay explained. "Cole's the ninja of Earth."

"Then who is the- Great Arceus _Crystal_!? Is that you!?" Ryna exclaimed. Crystal stopped and stared at her in surprise.

"Ryna?" She asked. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing! When I heard you had disappeared I got worried! I tried looking for you, but I couldn't find a hint of where you had gone. "Fern, Electra, Sparky, Zora, and even gruff old Cotose missed you!" Crystal smiled.

"Cotose was always a real sweet person underneath all that tough skin of his." The half demon replied. "So what happened?"

"They pissed off a horde of beedrills is what happened." Ryna explained, pointing to me and Jay.

"In my defense, Jay was the one who was getting chased by them." I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender. "I just ran with him because I was worried they would attack me as well." Ryna stared at me, clearly not convinced, though she didn't say anything.

"So, what sort of demon are you?" Lloyd asked the girl. I realized with a sudden jolt of surprise that I had actually trusted a demon upon meeting her.

"I'm not a demon." Ryna answered sweetly to the young child. "I'm a gijinka."

"Gijwhat now?" Jay asked, a question mark floating above his head.

"Part human and part Pokemon." Crystal explained. "They can go back and forth between forms, though it takes some of their energy so they don't do it too often. The whole kingdom of pokemon at Tolgalen are actually gijinkas, though they find it more convenient to stay in their pokemon forms."

"So, what made you really come out here?" Cole asked Ryna. Ryna paled and looked away.

"Shadow..." The last part of what she said was quiet, so none of us could hear. Except for Crystal.

"What!?" She shrieked. "I thought we were rid of those vile heathens!" Ryna flinched.

"I thought so too. We all did." She whispered. "But they have returned. They claim for the better. They say they want to become pure again. They even got on their knees and begged! They've become tired of exile, and wish to be back to normal, wishing they never had their dark powers." Crystal grimaced in distaste.

"The shorter way to purify them is always the best." She said. "Though it's quite dangerous." She looked over at us. "It is rare for me to ask such a favor for I have much pride in myself, but could you help me? I'm afraid I cannot do this alone as I would wish."

"Of course." Zane told her, smiling brightly. "We would love to assist you." I swore I saw Crystal's cheeks turn pink for a moment.

"Great!" Ryna exclaimed, startling me. She was so quiet before! "I'll go get Fern, and tell Electra to babysit the kids! Be back soon! And Crystal, why didn't you tell us you found yourself a king?"

"HE'S NOT A KING!" Crystal screamed at her retreating friend, who was laughing her tail off as she ran away from the half-demon queen's rage. Crystal's face was bright red. Zane merely sighed, smiling slightly, although he certainly looked concerned for Crystal's sudden rage.

"Besides, I do not wish to be a king." Zane confessed. "I do not think I would be a wise choice in that department. After all, I am not so used to giving out orders as Cole." Crystal seemed slightly worried about Zane's words, though she understood his meaning. Realization hit me in the face like a brick. Crystal was in love with Zane! And my fellow team mate didn't even realize it even though he was obviously head over heels in love with her! I thought for a moment before I realized that Crystal had begun calling him 'rumag'. Did that mean 'love' in that weird language?

"_No dear Kai. Itov is the draconic word for love._" A voice echoed in my head. The voice was deep, but obviously slightly feminine. Could that have been the Kitsune of Fire I heard within my head!? Though I was curious as to what 'Rumag' meant.

"_Then what does rumag mean?_" I asked. The voice chuckled.

"_Why rumag means..._" I listened carefully, memorizing the meaning. Ryna came running over with a human around our age. I saw that Cole couldn't stop staring at the new arrival. I elbowed him in the ribs and smirked. His face turned red and he shook his head, obviously denying that he felt any romantic feelings for the girl, which I knew was obviously true, despite his protests.

"Hello there!" She called, waving to us.

"Fern, it's good to see you!" Crystal called back, she gave Ryna a sharp glare. Fern ran over. We once again had to introduce ourselves.

"I think that Lloyd should stay behind." Fern said, giving the child a worried glance. Lloyd protested quite a bit, but after promising that he would get to explore Tolgalen, he seemed satisfied and ran off in the direction of the monastery where Electra, a luxray gijinka, was waiting for him.

"So. What are Shadow Pokemon?" Jay asked. Fern had left to get the people we were supposed to 'purify'. Ryna yelped at the mention of the words, and Crystal flinched.

"_Those_ pokemon are hallow shells of what they once were." Crystal began to explain in a slightly frightened voice. "Their hearts have been forcefully closed, making them seemingly emotionless except for rage and joy for the pain of others. They were made that way by..." She trailed off I was worried. Crystal wasn't once to become frightened so easily. Where the shadow pokemon really that bad?

"Th-they were made that way by humans." Ryna continued, timidly. "Not humans like you, but evil ones who didn't give a damn about others' pain. They treated pokemon like tools. The pokemon were given new powers in trade of their emotions. They were much stronger, but...They could not evolve any longer. They were stuck in that form for as long as they were a sh-shadow p-pokemon. They would kill for no reason. A-and it was often slow and gruesome."

"Over time, the humans lost control of the shadow pokemon, and they escaped to Tolgalen, where they tried to live normal lives. Unfortunately, they were still vile and could not control themselves, so we were forced to exile them." Crystal finished. "Now it seems that they have grown tired of all this, and decided to go back to their original forms." I could see why they feared the shadow pokemon. I certainly wouldn't want to come in contact with them after hearing that.

"Is that why you're afraid to even say their name?" Zane questioned. "Because of their violent nature?" Crystal nodded.

"I-I was attacked by one. When I was younger." Ryna whimpered. "That's why I'm always so jumpy." There was an awkward silence before Fern returned with a bunch of gijinkas, all different species. They all had the same red emotionless eyes, and same dark foreboding aura. Just being close to them when they were calm was enough for my heart to pound in my chest in fear. I would hate to see one of them in attack mode.

"So where's the place where we're supposed to go again?" Jay asked casually, as if unaffected by the dark aura of the shadow gijinkas in front of him.

"It's in Soti." Crystal answered. "But be warned. You must stay close to me, and do not, and I repeat, _do not_ stray behind of the group. The monsters in Soti are extremely protective of me. If they see you following slowly, they may think you are trying to assassinate me and will attack." Jay paled, finally becoming unnerved.

A few hours passed before we came across the bridge that led to Soti. There was a thick layer of fog that blocked the view of the end. Crystal stepped onto the bridge and began crossing it, obviously not bothered by the fog. Zane rushed over to her side so he wouldn't lose sight of her, and the rest of us reluctantly followed them. The shadow pokemon were oddly quiet, and Jay obviously was trying to lighten the mood with a few jokes.

"So, who wants to hear a few jokes?" He asked.

"Jay, I suggest you let _me_ tell all the jokes around here." Fern replied. She turned to the rest of us. "Ok, so there's this random little battle between a staravia and a pikachu. When they both aimed a special attack at each other, a driffloon suddenly flew in and exploded in their faces! When the dust settled the staravia looked around and saw the pikachu was gone, and there was a pile of ashes not far away. 'Holy Arceus above he's dead!' the bird pokemon exclaimed. 'Nope!' The pikachu answered from a tree branch. 'That's the remains of that suicidal driffloon! Too bad he only burned the suicide note instead of himself!'" The shadow pokemon let out some laughs, as well as the rest of us. Even Crystal laughed a bit. Zane's eyes brightened as his crush laughed, obviously enjoying the sound of it.

"I got one!" A shadow pokemon, a growlithe to be exact, called. "Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?" Jay replied.

"Doctor!"

"Doctor wh- I see what you did there!" More laughter from all of us. "Trying to beat me in my own game huh?" Soon there was a war of jokes between the growlithe and Jay. Most of us blocked it out because most of them were really cheesy. After an hour or two, we reached the coast of Soti, which looked absolutely stunning. There were flowers all along the beach, each of them vibrant colors ranging from bright orange to light blue. It was nothing like I had imagined it to be. I was sure it would look like something out of The Nightmare Before Christmas! Dark and dreary with almost no colorful plant life.

"This place is amazing!" Cole gasped. Fern giggled and nudged him.

"We know." She said. "Nothing like you expected, huh?"

"I expected it to be dark and creepy." Jay told her, looking around, eyes wide in surprise and curiosity.

"Yes it used to be that way." A voice hissed. A long slender beast walked out. It was grey in coloration with vivid purple designs, and bright orange eyes with green around the slitted pupil.

"This is Halloween." Crystal told us. "He's a denthunus, a common species in our land." Halloween gave her a smirk, before disappearing into the shadows of the trees once more. Crystal beckoned with her tail for us to follow her to a safe camping spot near a lake. The sun set slowly on the ocean, and many stayed awake to watch it, though many of us fell asleep, including me.

The next morning we were roused by the gijinkas so we could continue our little quest. As Crystal led the way into the forest, all seemed well and safe. The journey was uneventful for some reason, though Crystal insisted it was dangerous and the beasts in the land were merely afraid of attacking such a large group. Crystal led us to the castle where everyone celebrated her return. Most however didn't seem happy with us.

"The creatures here are not fond of humans." Crystal whispered to us. "They will accept you soon. Tomorrow we will purify the Shadow Pokemon."

**Zane's P.O.V.**

Crystal sat along the beach, staring at the sun that was just barely visible over the line of water I was beginning to worry about her. Crystal had slowly grown distant towards us, despite my desperate attempts to gain her attention. I walked over to her, startling the young queen for a moment.

"Hello." I greeted, giving her a short bow. Crystal's tail twitched slightly at the tip.

"Don't be so formal." She told me, looking back at the darkening sky. "We're not at the castle. Yet." I sat down next to her, feeling slightly ashamed for acting like that towards her.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"And there's no need for that either." Crystal gave me a slightly annoyed look. "Zane, you're my friend as well as my team-mate. There's no need for you to bow or apologize unless it is actually necessary. I know your intent is good, but it really is annoying being treated like that. It's the main reason I dread being a queen."

"There are other reasons?" I asked. I was quite concerned for her safety, and did not wish for her to be harmed.

"Yes. Such as the fact that everyone's so protective of me!" She hissed irritably. I flinched. She must have noticed for her gaze softened. "Oh, Zane. I know that you only wish for me to be safe and for no harm to come to me, but as a lone ruler, it is my duty to join in on almost everything that happens within my kingdom. You must realize that it is impossible for me to stay with you any longer."

"Why don't we come stay with you?" I suggested, my heart screaming in emotional pain from her words. I knew she was going to leave, but not that soon. Crystal seemed surprised.

"I'm not sure." She sighed. "Perhaps. But I will need to check with the soldiers and guards first." I looked up at the sky.

"Crystal." I began, my heart being shredded. I took a deep breath. "You will not always be alone. Perhaps you should ask the person who has stolen your heart to join you by your side within the castle."

"I can't." She answered. "For he does not wish to do so. He said he doesn't want to be a king. And I cannot leave my place upon the throne. If I do, then Soti will go back to the way it once was. A barren wasteland."

"Why?" I asked, curious how having her upon the throne would affect the environment in such a drastic way.

"I am the only one who cares to have the island look nice. Anyone else wouldn't care for it, and let everything die once more. No one seems to realize how important the land is for all of us."

"We should wake the others." I told her, after a long pause. She nodded and got up. She barked an order in Draconic at the Shadow Pokemon, who had not slept the night before. They instantly got to their feet, somewhat startled. I tilted my head in confusion. Just what had she said that startled them like that? Fern and Ryna were alert as well, also staring at her in shock.

"Jalla yth nafl tir batobot?" Fern asked She was deathly pale.

"Shar coi ui dangerous ekess gethrisj batobot idol! wer darastrix, Weyog, waphic mobi!" Ryna added, shaking in pure terror. Crystal gave them a sly smile.

"Tir ti l'gra. jaciv geou ti levnim udoka sjek yth stick ekess wer donoap." She responded.

Eventually after everyone followed her as slowly as possible, only speeding up when Kai threatened to burn their reproductive organs off (this mainly applied to the males but the females also sped up somewhat), we came to a bog.

"Man, the last time I was in a swamp I got venomari venom in my eyes that made me hallucinate for hours!" Kai complained. "And I'm not willing to try it again either!"

"Hush!" Crystal snapped. Kai snapped his mouth shut, eyes wide in shock. He too must have noticed how mature Crystal had gotten along our journey. "Now listen to me, do not stray from the path. A swamp dragon lurks here in this bog and she will attack if she finds you snooping around her home." Everyone nodded. Crystal signaled us to follow her with a flick of her tail as she began to walk away. I rushed to her side once again, ready to protect her if anything were to attack. Jay got into another joke war in the far back, annoying Kai beyond reason.

"Would you shut up before I-" He was cut off by a sharp hiss from Crystal.

"Quiet! We're almost there." She quickened her pace, obviously anxious to leave this eerie place. After a while, we came to a small green clearing with a large stone pillar in the middle. All around it there was fresh, clear, sparkling water. Crystal motioned for the shadow pokemon to cross the bridge, as they did, a bright green glow emitted from the pillar and shot towards their hearts. The shadow pokemon's eyes slowly regained their natural color and emotions, and the dark aura surrounding them evaporated as if it were a thin fog. Several of them cheered while the rest stood there with expressions that clearly asked 'What just happened?'. I stole a glance at Crystal and saw that she looked fairly satisfied. She smiled softly, the hardened gaze in her eyes disappearing. She flicked her tail for us to follow as she set off again. I noticed that her pace was somewhat slow and slightly uneven.

"Tired?" I asked her quietly. Behind me there was the quiet friendly chatter among the shadow pokemon and my 'brothers', as though they had been friends their entire life.

"A little." Crystal confessed. "I haven't been getting enough sleep. I can't stand the thought of leaving you."

"And we do not wish for you to leave." I whispered. Crystal looked somewhat depressed. "There must be something you can do to stay!"

"Crystal's leaving!?" Jay exclaimed in shock. I flinched. I had not told the others, for I was hoping that Crystal would find a way to stay before they found out. My half-demon 'crush' gave him a sorrowful look.

"I might have too." She explained. "After all, as a queen, it is my job to take care of my kingdom. I cannot do that when I am so far away."

"Maybe we could stay with you!" Cole suggested. Crystal shook her head.

"No. It is not that easy, Cole." She sighed. "The residents of Soti do not wish to have humans live on the island. They fear it is crowded enough, which is of course not true, but I can do nothing to persuade their beliefs." Cole looked down.

"I have an idea!" Kai exclaimed. "What if you had someone send you letters when you are actually needed!"

"That might work. I am not sure."

At the castle Crystal requested a meeting with some of the staff at the castle. It lasted for a few hours, but when they came back out, it was obvious there had been some bickering.

"It seems that Kai's idea actually will work." She said happily. We all ran over and hugged her. She laughed and hugged us back. "Watch it! Don't suffocate me!" One of the demons shot me an infuriated look when I hugged her. Apparently word was getting around that the queen had chosen a king, and this demon did not seem happy.

"Crysty, who are these humans?" The demon spat. Crystal shot him a glare.

"Kuro, these are the ninjago ninjas, saviors of our land." Crystal hissed to the demon, who paled slightly. "And one of them just happens to be my rumag." Kuro shot me a look and looked over at Crystal in surprise. She turned away and motioned for us to follow her.

"Am I the only one who thinks she's trying to steal my place?" Cole joked. Crystal smiled at him.

"Do not worry, it will only last for until we leave the island. Then you can go back to being the bossy ninja you are." She replied. "Just don't expect me to listen to you." Cole gave her a fake injured look.

"Ok, now that hurt my feelings." He said. Crystal laughed, as did the rest of us. The walk back to the monastery was certainly slow, and took longer than I had expected. The purified shadow pokemon waved goodbye to us as they set off for Tolgalen.

"I think we should stop and rest for a bit before going back up there." Kai suggested, pointing at the flight of stairs. We all agreed happily with that suggestion. I was sitting close to Crystal and noticed that her breathing had become ragged and uneven, as though she was having trouble breathing. I also realized that her tail hug limply on the ground, as though she had no strength to move it.

"Crystal?" I whispered. "Are you alright?" Crystal nodded weakly.

"I'm just...tired." She gasped. I wasn't all that convinced. I looked over and saw the others already climbing the stairway. There was no way Crystal could climb that many stairs and stay conscious in her condition.

"That's it, I'm carrying you." I said, picking her up as a groom would his bride. Crystal yelped in shock. I followed the others, ignoring her cries of protest.

"Zane, I can walk just fine! Put me down!" I was slightly upset that her voice was not weak as well as her body. The others looked back and snickered when they saw how I was carrying her.

"What's the occasion?" Jay asked.

"Crystal is much too tired to walk up these stairs on her own." I answered. "I am merely helping her."

"Helping me!?" Crystal echoed. "More like embarrassing me! Put me down!" Eventually she realized that I would not listen to her and she quieted down. After we finally reached the monastery, I carried her to her room.

"Crystal, I am going to listen to your commands now and put you down." I joked. When I didn't get a response, I looked down at the half-demon queen who had fallen quiet. At first I believed her to be dead, yet I calmed down when I saw the faint rise and fall of her chest. She had merely fallen asleep. I smiled and gently laid her down on her bed, pulling the blanket over her so she would not get cold. I was about to leave, but my heart kept telling me to stay, so I sat down beside her bed and waited for the night to pass.

~"_Zane_." I turned to see Yuki. I smiled, but noticed something. We were the same size. Looking down I choked out a cry of shock. I had become a cat! My fur was a light cream, matching my hair, and I had white paws with little white flecks above them as though it were snowing on my legs. My tail had the same pattern on it as well. Looking down at a pool of still water, I saw that my eyes had remained the same as they were in my human form. I looked back over at Yuki.

"Yuki, why have I transformed into a cat?" I asked.

"_It is easier to speak to you in this way._" She answered. "_It hurts my neck to have to look up at you all the time._" I looked down at the pool of water once again and saw something. It was Crystal and I as cats. Her fur was the same as the fur on her tail, a bright aqua, but her wars, tail tip, and paws were blue, and her eyes were a vivid violet instead of the deep sapphire I was so used to. I saw what I believed to be the others as well. Ryna was the same color as her shirt, but her ears, tail, front paws, and back legs were all a dark blue, as well as her silver eyes. There was a tortoise shell next to her, most likely Fern, her eyes were a deep emerald green. Cole had the same coloration as a husky, though instead of the common grey and white, he was dark brown and black, and the same blueish-green eyes. Kai was a little ways away from us, though it was obvious it was him. The bottom half of his legs and tail tip were a golden color, while the rest were a fiery orange. At first glance, I had almost thought he was actually on fire. The rest of his fur was the same color as his hair, and his eyes were still the sharp golden orbs I had come to know so well. Nya was next to him, obviously scolding him over something. She had golden rings of fur around the middle of her legs and fur, and the same golden eyes from her human form, which was the only resemblance she and her brother shared. Jay was keeping his distance from Kai, making me wonder if he had tried to flirt with Nya, only to have Kai chase after him. He was a light brown with two golden lightning shaped stripes on his back, and his tail had a pattern similar to a racoons(only with brown and gold instead of grey and dark grey). Lloyd seemed to be the same color as his hair, and had bright red eyes. I blinked in confusion, and the vision was gone.

"_Zane. Do you want to go visit Crystal's dream?_" Yuki asked me. I shook my head.

"No. It would be wrong to intrude." I answered.

"_She's having a nightmare Zane. She _needs you."Yuki explained. I paled at her words. I swiftly began to plead with her to let me help. Yuki laughed and closed her eyes. In moments we were in a dark dreary forest. I searched for Crystal and found her shivering near a river, her fur wet. A laugh echoed within my ears.

"Give up Crystal. You cannot win." A shadowy figure walked over, baring his fangs. He unsheathed his claws and licked his lips as he stared at her. Crystal whimpered.

"Go away!" She whimpered.

"Not until I get what I came here for little halfie." He sneered. My ears laid back when I realized what he was about to do. The next thing I know my claws are unsheathed and I force my way out of the tangle of bushes and towards the figure. The figure spun around and I saw a look of confusion and shock on it's face as I slammed into him. The figure hissed and tried to slash me, but instinct took over and I dodged, quickly slashing his neck. The figure disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I sheathed my claws once again and walked over to Crystal.

"Z-Zane!?" She gasped. I smiled weakly at her. "How did you enter my dream!?"

"That's my little secret_ rumag_." I answered, gently pressing my nose against hers. Crystal blushed and purred softly as she rubbed up against my side. I too let out a purr, and nudged her playfully. I realized I could no longer sense Yuki. She must have decided to let me have some alone time with Crystal, in the realm of dreams where we were safe with each other by our sides.

"Zane." I awoke to see Crystal's sapphire eyes staring at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I could not leave you alone. I feared you would have a nightmare." I replied, getting up.

"Well you were right. Thanks for saving me." She whispered. I forced a tired smile.

"Perhaps you should sleep with me tonight, just in case." I suggested. Crystal blushed and looked away.

"I-I don't know. What if one of the others catches us?" She asked.

"I could close and lock the door." I answered. "You will not have to fear being locked away alone, for I will be right by your side." I placed my hand on her cheek and gently forced her to look up at me.

"F-fine." She said after a few moments, closing her eyes. "I'll do it." I picked her up once again and felt her go rigid in shock.

"Zane!" She cried. "Put me down! I refuse to go through this again!" I let out a laugh.

"I am not going to listen." I teased. "I do not wish for you to strain yourself."

"Zane, I mean it!" Crystal snapped in a warning tone. "Put me down!"

"Not happening until we get to my room.

"Zane! Put me down before I turn you into a frog or a rat! ZANE!"

**Such a fun, fluffy way to end it hm? Looks like Zane finally got in bed with Crystal~ *Shot* OW! Ok, ok, not in THAT way but still. He got to cuddle with her. Maybe. She might have denied him of cuddles because he didn't listen to her. But hey, at least he's somewhat closer. Maybe they won't have to confess, maybe they'll just slowly get closer and closer. I mean, this is the first sign after all. First it's protectiveness, then caring for one another, then cuddling, then kissing. And a relationship. Yep. Perfect way to do it. As for Ryna, Kai, Fern, and Cole. Not sure JUST yet how things are gonna go with them. Though Ryna and Kai will end up bickering like an old married couple once Ryna opens up to him a little more, and well, Fern and Cole will be like Zane and Crystal. Protective and sweet. Though there will be a confession between them, since I'm denying one for Zane and Crystal at the moment, hint hint, wink wink. Anyway, long chapter am I right? Or am I right? **

**Contest for Rumag is still up and running for it has not been explained. And do forgive me for trolling you earlier I just HAD to put that there~**

**Original ideas for this? I WAS planning on having them transported to the pokemon world, but I thought. Nah. And now you know why Crystal never saw actual REAL pokemon in Ninjago. Because all the ones she knows, are gijinkas, and not actual honest to real pokemon. Will the ninjas' pokemon have gijinka forms? Probably not. And I was also having the fight scene with Zane protecting Crystal at the sunset scene where his love confession was interrupted, but I decided I had trolled ya'll enough for the chapter. Before that I did have them actually confess and go all Romeo and Juliet on everyone and try to keep it a secret, but nope. Too cliche~ And yes, you can imply that Zane and Crystal got pretty close in that dream if you want, though we all know that Zane isn't man enough to even kiss Crystal just yet.(Cept for that mistletoe mishap, but that's a tradition so...He kinda HAD to kiss her then.)  
**

**And just one little question:**

**When should Zane and Crystal 'confess' and become a couple? (If a lot of you say next chapter, I may or may not troll you and have it be a dream, or have it interrupted. Or maybe it will happen, but at the very end.)**


	12. Soria

**I seriously need to stop getting ideas for this. And hi Redkip and Ellie~ And no need to say add more Kai, I know that's what chu two want. |D *shot* WHO GAVE HER A GUN!?**

**Crystal: I found it.**

**...**

**Zane: Crystal, kindly put the gun down. She is your creator after all.**

**Kai: ...Wait. How did Crystal even know how to use that gun?**

**Crystal: Television. **

**...aaaanyway. This chapter will be about Kai-**

**Kai: YES!**

**And his relationship with Ryna and Hazel. **

**Kai: ...**

**And please do review. If you don't, I feel like no one likes it. I don't even care if you're a guest. If you can guess the meaning of Rumag, and you get it right, I will allow OCs for brief cameos, or even a major character for only one chapter (maybe more), and possible references to later. The form for it WITH your guess for Rumag:**

**Guess for Rumag:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Species(human, monster, any sort.):**

**Personality:**

**Background(optional)**

**And another thing, if you have noticed the new summary, who do you think this new threat is involved with? And it's actually the person you'd least expect. I will be making a sequel revolved around that person and their journey to help the others, however you may get the shock of your life. This fanfic will continue even when Zane and Crystal finally get together. It will most likely end when the real threat is shown, and the person is revealed. Which may be next chapter or the one after that. The pokemon will get a bigger spotlight next story though. Promise! This one was mainly focusing on building up for this new threat, and I have dropped very tiny hints along the way. You'll have to try and find them.  
**

**Kai's P.O.V.**

"Hazel, Blaze, come on!" I called over my shoulder. Hazel and my charmander sped up, trying to catch up with me.

"Can you tell us where we're going?" Hazel asked. I merely smiled and ruffled her hair.

"It's a surprise." I explained. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Valid point you have there." Hazel said. I blinked. She was beginning to sound like Zane almost. She really needed to stop hanging out with him and Crystal so much. Crystal was basically a mother to all of the poor kids. Mainly to her little brother, Aka, who was visiting Flame at this time.

"Hey Fireball!" A voice called. I looked around.

"Ryna? Is that you?" I asked, hopeful it was her. The two of us became close friends while purifying the shadow pokemon, and I hadn't seen her in a few days.

"Of course!" I looked up. "What other gijinkas do you know?" She leaped down and landed right in front of me. Blaze ran over and suddenly leaped at her.

"Blaze!" I snapped. Ryna giggled and held Blaze back as he tried to claw her. I snatched him from her hands, worried that he would harm her. "Blaze, stop that! I'm so sorry Ryna. I don't know what's gotten into him!"

"It's fine. He's starting to get that fighting spirit in him." Ryna told me. "In order to evolve, pokemon need to get stronger. And that happens when they fight one another. They usually stop once one has 'fainted', though sometimes...some may take it too far..."

"You never did mention your parents." I said. I glanced at Hazel and saw she was doing an impression of a stalagmite. Quiet and still, as though she didn't want to be noticed by the gijinka. Ryna shrugged.

"They're battle instructors." She explained. "I've seen good battles and bad ones." She looked over at Hazel. "So who's this?"

"This is Hazel." I told her. "Come on Hazel, don't be shy." Hazel looked up at me and glanced at Ryna. I was startled when I saw a flash of suspicion in her eyes. Ryna obviously didn't notice, for she was smiling. Why didn't Hazel trust Ryna? Hazel seemed to grow shy and hid behind me. Ryna tilted her head in confusion and looked at me.

"Has she always been shy like this?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. Not that I'm aware of." I answered. "She does flinch when you reach out to her sometimes, but she's never done anything like this. Hazel, what's wrong?" Hazel didn't answer me.

"Char. Charmander char!" Blaze gently nudges Hazel's leg, but Hazel didn't take her eyes off Ryna.

"She doesn't trust me." Ryna whispered.

"Hazel." I knelt down beside the strange child. "What's wrong?" She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. I let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry if I upset her." I heard Ryna whimper. I gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's not your fault." I told her. "I just don't know what's wrong with her. She's never been like this before."

"Who is she anyway?" I could tell Ryna was curious. Hazel shook her head, her eyes wide. She was signalling me to keep quiet.

"Don't know. We found her in the middle of the forest. She was unconscious, but fine other than some minor memory loss." I explained. Hazel shot me a glare. I lowered my voice so only Ryna could hear me. "I think she may be lying about her name. She's so quiet and always locking herself in her room. She doesn't talk much, and when she does, it's usually quiet, and when we ask what she said, she never repeats it. It's like she doesn't even trust us." Ryna closed her eyes, lost in her thoughts.

"She's in a place she doesn't know." Ryna said, opening her eyes. "She's practically all alone. She must be terrified. She just isn't used to you yet." I shifted uncomfortably.

"You're right." I whispered. "I'm still worried though. There's something that isn't right about her. Sometimes it's like she's not even human." I looked back over at Hazel. She was watching a butterfly float around, her eyes wide in curiosity at the little insect. I blinked. What was I thinking calling her not human? She was only a kid after all.

"Come on. I want to show you something." Ryna grabbed my hand and started to drag me away. Blaze slowly followed us with Hazel close behind.

"Hazel." I called. Hazel was beginning to slow down a bit. I was worried if she was tired. She didn't show any signs of hearing me. "Hazel!" No response from her. Ryna tilted her head.

"Maybe she's not used to that name yet. If she was lying about it." She suggested, seeing the concerned look on my face. I nodded. I was silent for a while.

"Where are we going?" Hazel asked. Ryna gave her a smile.

"A place I like to go when I'm bored." The gijinka answered. Hazel stared at her for a moment, suspicion flashing in her eyes. This gave me an unsettling feeling. There just wasn't something right about this child. She may be young physically, but she was obviously much older mentally. Possibly older than us. After another few hours of walking, we came across a line of trees. Ryna gave us a reassuring smile. She walked through the thick leaves and called back to us for us to follow. I swiftly ran to her side, but the sound of footsteps told me Hazel was approaching more cautiously. I let out a gasp at the sight. We were in a large field surrounded by aging trees, some with dying and drooping branches. Despite the decay and death around it, the field was thriving with all sorts of different flowers, berries, and grasses. Ryna giggled and ran off. I tried to follow, but I stopped, realizing that Hazel was looking around, eyes wide in fear. Even with the distance between us I could see she was shivering.

"Hazel?" I called. "Are you alright?" Ryna bounded back over to me, with a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's Hazel. She won't follow." I replied, not taking my eyes off the terrified child. "Hazel! Answer me!"

"I don't like this place." Hazel whimpered. "It's pretty, but it's evil. I can feel it. Something's hiding from us. Look at the trees! We're surrounded by nothing but death!" It was at this point that she was beginning to scare me.

"Hazel, it's alright!" I called to her. "Nothing is going to hurt us!"

"No!" She snapped. "We're not alright! Something evil is hiding here! I want to leave!"

"We should get her back home." Ryna suggested. "I didn't mean to upset her."

"It's not your fault." I told her. "This place must have brought up a bad memory of some sort. But that is a good idea. I think it would be best for her to stay back home until we can figure out what's wrong with her."

"Kai!" Hazel called. "Come on! We're not safe here!"

"Hold on Hazel." I ran over to her. "We're going home, don't worry. What's wrong? What are you even going on about?"

"The Orchid Keepers." Hazel whimpered. She wouldn't speak again after that, no matter how hard I tired.

Once we got back, Hazel acted as though her paranoia never happened. While she, Aka, and Lloyd chatted, I decided to take the time to talk with the others about what had happened. Jay was surprisingly quiet when I explained how she had freaked out when we got to the clearing, and her not trusting Ryna at all. Zane and Cole were both concerned, but Crystal seemed emotionless. Nya was on the other side of the room, watching the kids, but she often glanced over at me with a look of concern on her face.

"But when I asked her about it, she said something." I began to tell the end of the strange scene. "After that she wouldn't talk."

"What did she say?" Cole asked. I knew he thought of Hazel as his little sister more than I did, and I also knew he was jealous of me since Hazel was always trying to gain my attention instead of his.

"She said 'Orchid Keepers'." I answered. Crystal hissed in shock. She took a step back and her tail lashed.

"Are you sure that's what she said?" She asked me firmly. I nodded, shocked at her sudden change in mood. I knew that Zane was worried as well, without even looking at him. Cole and Jay were staring at her in confusion.

"What are Orchid Keepers?" Jay asked a little too loudly. I hear Hazel yelp. I looked over at her and saw she was frozen much like she was when she first saw Ryna. Crystal, Cole, and I shot Jay a glare, who snapped his mouth shut.

"Orchid Keepers are large crane like birds." Crystal explained. "Their wings are black and they have large golden eyes. They're around the size of a dragon. They nest near certain trees that grow in shallow pools of water. The trees contain a fruit that causes you to become drowsy when you eat it. If you do not eat the bitter skin of the fruit, you will fall asleep. However. That is how the Orchid Keeper eats it's food. It kills the victims of the fruit, uses their skulls to line the bottom of the pool, and to also pave a path to the orchid in hopes of attracting more victims. Luckily, they beasts very rare." I paled. Had that bird given Hazel her scar? I had once caught a glimpse of a scar on Hazel's right leg, just above the knee.

"That may have been what she was talking about!" I exclaimed softly. The others tilted their heads in confusion. "Hazel kept saying that something was hiding in the beauty and we were surrounded by death. A lot of the trees surrounding the clearing were old and beginning to die. Maybe she once had and encounter with and Orchid Keeper, and it traumatized her."

"That's a good suggestion," Crystal began. "But Orchid Keepers do not live on this world. And there is nothing that even relates to them either." My blood turned to ice.

"Wait!" Cole said. We all looked at him. "Maybe there's another island that no one knows about! We certainly didn't know about Soti and Tolgalen until Crystal showed up, so maybe there's a place that has something similar to Orchid Keepers. Or even Orchid Keepers themselves!"

"That is a good guess," Zane replied. "But how can we be so sure?"

"It's the only lead we have." Nya said, walking over to us. "We'll just have to go with that. If Hazel really did come from another world, we would know it." I nodded.

"Crystal, how do you know all this stuff?" Jay questioned.

"Rayqyuaza." She answered. "He and Deyoxys are pokemon who live in space, and can travel across the universe. They often visit me and tell me of their travels."

"That's useful for what exactly?" I asked. Crystal shrugged.

"Not much to be honest. But if something or someone comes from another world somehow, it would pay to know a little about them." She told us. I saw a flash of admiration in Zane's eyes, and I wondered why he wouldn't just ask the young queen out on a date. He made it more than obvious that he was in love with her. My thoughts turned back to Ryna. She looked absolutely devastated when Hazel didn't trust her, and began to freak out. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the young gijinka. She was merely trying to be kind. Another feeling began to fill my heart, but I pushed it away. I couldn't fall for her, she wasn't even _part_ human!

A few hours had passed, and I was looking up at the stars. The sound of footsteps told me someone was on the roof with me.

"Hey." Crystal greeted. She sat down next to me. "I know you're upset-"

"I think that's obvious." I growled. "I'm just confused as to why Hazel would hide something from us!"

"Well first, it's probably because she's not ready to tell us, and two, I'm not talking about Hazel." I gave her a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Ryna." I felt my face go red. "You're worried about what will happen if you fall in love with her."

"No I'm not." I lied.

"That blush says otherwise." Crystal gave me a friendly smile. "Kai, gijinkas and demons are very similar. So yes, it's fine for you to fall in love with her. And maybe you two could have a kid if you wanted to." My face grew even redder than before. Before I could retaliate, Crystal got up.

"Why don't you tell Zane already?" I asked quickly. "About how you feel?" She looked down.

"Because I'm worried." She confessed. "Things may get complicated. After all, I am a queen."

"That doesn't matter." I growled. "He's a hero for ancestor's sake! He's just as important as you are! That can't be an excuse!"

"And then there's the fact he's human." Crystal continued. I paled. "Monsters and humans don't exactly get along very well. It's obvious some aren't happy with my decision as it is."

"Yeah. Very few of them." I replied. "You shouldn't let all of them control you like that. It's fine to listen to them every once in a while, but you can't let them control your life like that. Just go for it."

"Ironic how you're saying this to me when you yourself are having a problem that is quite similar." Crystal teased. I growled as she walked away, tail held high. Sometimes I wish I could just step on her sorry tail, even if she was right.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE!?" Kai's enraged scream told me he had heard the news. Overnight, Hazel had disappeared. Cole was frantically looking all over Ninjago for her at the time Kai heard about it.

"Cole's driving himself insane with worry about it." Crystal stated flatly. "I saw her run off into the forest with Lloyd and Aka. They probably went on some crazy adventure."

"Aren't you worried!?" Kai snapped. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Crystal flinch slightly.

"Of course I'm worried!" She retorted. "My little brother is out there too you know! He's all I have left!" Her tail was puffed up to twice it's normal size, and her eyes were blazing in anger.

"What do you mean?" Kai growled. "Your parents didn't want you, did they?" I decided that was enough. Kai had crossed the line with that question.

"Her parents are dead Kai." I growled. The others looked over at me in shock. "They died when she was only seven years old, she didn't know if they wanted her or not at that point in time." Kai flinched and backed down. He looked over at Crystal to try to apologize to her, but the half demon was already walking to her room. Shooting one last glare at Kai, I followed her. When I got to her room, I saw her holding the necklace I had given her on Christmas.

"Crystal?" I walked over and sat down on the bed beside her. I could tell she was barely able to stop herself from crying. I wrapped my arms around her, and tried to soothe her. "Crystal, please don't cry. You and I both know that he's merely upset, he didn't mean anything by it."

"I know." Crystal whimpered, her voice shaking somewhat. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Do you want me to tell them the whole story?" I asked. She nodded. A loud crash was heard from outside. "What's going out there!?"

"Don't know!" Jay called back. "Kai went to go check it out!" Crystal got up and flicked her tail as a signal for me to follow. I smiled and got up.

"You do realize that you are not exactly my queen just yet?" I teased. Crystal looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean by 'yet'?" She asked. I blushed and looked away.

"Nothing." I replied. "Just a little inside joke of mine." Crystal rolled her eyes and began to leave. I realized how quickly her mood changed. By the time we got outside, it was obvious something was wrong. Kai was trying to get Lloyd and Aka to quiet down, but the two kids wouldn't stop talking. Unfortunately they were talking too fast for anyone to really understand them, even poor Crystal whose ears were laid back from the loud noise.

"Calm down you two!" She finally ordered. Lloyd and Aka finally quieted down. "Now what happened?"

"HAZEL'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!" The two answered. I saw Cole freeze, and Kai's eyes darken in fury.

"What happened exactly?" Cole growled. The kids flinched.

"W-we were out exploring and-and we got separated for a while. L-Lloyd and I heard Hazel scream but when we got to where it came from, she was gone!" Aka answered. "We looked all over for her but all we saw was a weird shadow that moved even thought it wasn't connected to anything!"

"And when we went near it we felt like our energy was being drained!" Lloyd continued. "W-we saw a weird gremlin thing lying on the ground. I thought it was dead so I walked over to it to see what it was, but it suddenly got up and attacked us!"

"That weird shadow saved us though!" Aka added. "It killed that gremlin thing before it could hurt us!"

"But then it disappeared." Lloyd finished. "Wait...wasn't that weird gremlin thing's blood blueish black?"

"Yeah. Why?" Aka asked.

"Well that shadow obviously couldn't bleed, and...what if..." Lloyd trailed off.

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Kai asked. The kids looked down.

"There was blood on the ground when we got there." Lloyd answered quickly. "I think it might have been human blood."

"Where did you find this thing?" Cole looked down at the kids. The two looked at each other. "Show us."

"This is the path Ryna and I took to that clearing!" Kai hissed in shock as he recognized the path. I looked around in surprise. Hazel was right about the death around us, but it didn't give off an eerie feeling.

"Hey, there's the shadow again!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Hey!" He waved to the creature happily. Whatever it was, it was long and slender, with long legs. It was hard to distinguish any definite shape, for it really was a shadow without a body attached to it. A shadow that could walk in sunlight and fade ever so slightly. The creature waved it's tail as if it were waving back the the young ninja. Aka walked over to it.

"Where's our friend?" He asked. The creature tilted it's head as a dog does when it hears a whistle for the first time. "Where's Hazel?"

"_Hazel ui tokeq. Si saved jacioniv de batobot rekisix. Coi geou levnim wux thric drongilt. Tokeq. Hazel ui tokeq._" The creature responded. It's voice was a mere echo and it seemed to waver slightly when it talked.

"What did it say?" I whispered to Crystal. She gave me an irritated look.

"Remind me to teach you a little draconic later." Crystal responded quietly. I knew she was merely teasing me. I gave her a sheepish smile.

"I'll try." I replied.

"It said that Hazel's safe." Crystal said, raising her voice for the others to hear. Cole and Kai let out sighs of relief.

"_Waere. Hazel ui persvek waere. Tokeq. Hazel ui tokeq._" The creature continued to talk. "_Ouith vur tokeq. Rigluinic letoclo._"

"What is it going on about?" Kai asked. Crystal shrugged. The dark amber eyes of the beast opened and closed.

"It says she needs help. She must have been injured by that thing." She motioned to a fuzzy creature laying on the ground. It's eyes were wide open and lifeless. I shivered, wondering what the kids thought as it lay dying like that. Worst of all, it wasn't bleeding. Nor did it have any visible injuries other than the small cut on it's arm, which would not have been fatal.

"I'm fine." Hazel limped over to us. "I just sprained my ankle."

"_Soria ouith. Rigluin letoclo. Soria rigluin letoclo de thurirli_." The creature said. Hazel sighed.

"Does anyone know what it's going on about?"

"It kept saying you were safe and needed help." Kai answered. "But what the hell does 'Soria' mean? Is is Draconic for Hazel?"

"There is no known word for Hazel." Crystal answered, looking a little more than concerned. "And besides. Hazel in this case is a name, so even if there was a Draconic word for it, it would still just be pronounced as 'Hazel'."

"So same rules as any other language basically?" Cole asked. Crystal nodded.

"But Soria is _not_ Draconic." Kai and the others looked at her in confusion. What was she going on about?

"What's your name?" Kai asked the creature.

"_Vessa._" It replied. "_Ominak Vessa._"

"That means steal in Draconic." Crystal whispered to me.

"Tir wux vucot Hazel?" Crystal asked the shadow creature.

"_Axun. Hazel thurirl. Hazel Soria._" It answered.

"Svaust ui Soria?"

"_Soria hazel. Soria thurirl. Soria missing. Ehtaha Soria_." The creature's head swayed slightly. "_Soria confn spical. Soria rigluin return. Soria Hazel. _"Soria ir di udoka. Soria sjach leech. Soria thurirl.

"_Zane._" I jumped, not expecting Crystal to use or even know telepathy. "_I don't think Soria is a word. I think it's a name. I think that this 'Soria' is actually Hazel. And whoever Hazel is, she is _not_ human._"

**Meh. Short chapter. Must be because we're nearing the end. Kinda sad to see my newest story end before the others, but still. This one will be a series, which I have dubbed, The Universal Crossover. Why? Well. Because it has soooo many references. In this chapter, there are several.**

**Such as**

**1) A monster from my favorite series(middleish of the chapter?)**

**2) A monster of my own series(very end)**

**3) A very small reference to a favorite character of mine from another book series I like but she is not a character of my favorite book series, but she does star in one of my favorite books. (sorta kind maybe middle)**

**4) And finally a reference to another series that recently started that I like that has dragons as the main characters and humans are endangered. For once. (Beginning)**

**Now then. Whoever can guess, can have any sorta treat they want. Be it a cupcake, cake, cookies, a twinkie(WHY HOSTESS WHYYYYY) Writer's block has seemed to slap me in the face for this story now. So I'll go and try to work on the others now.  
**


	13. Rumag

**Adventure Cherrim, you were close. But Hazel's partner was actually not an emolga. But I guess I could squeeze Sky in there at some point. Though he could have been with before she was knocked unconscious.  
**

**I will now allow OCs. Because these next few chapters, are really gonna need them. The OC template is always gonna be the same, but, I wanted to do a little something with the new species in the story. Plus. Zane learns the meaning of Rumag in this chapter so...  
**

**No P.O.V.**

"Found it!" Jay exclaimed. The ninjas, Crystal, and even Hazel had gone to the library to find out more about these strange creatures known as 'Shadow Leeches'. Crystal let out a sigh of relief.

"It's about time." Hazel muttered. "Why was I dragged out here anyway?"

"So we could find out more about your species." Kai answered. Hazel gave him a what-the-hell-do-you-mean look.

"I'm a human you idiots." Hazel growled.

"Why did that thing call you a Shadow Leech!?" Lloyd questioned. "And it called you Soria!"

"Soria? No, no, no." Hazel continued to laugh. "Soria's a different person. She's a dragon who is revered among them. The Shadow Leech that you meant didn't know Draconic all that well. It was just saying random stuff."

"So. You're not a Shadow Leech?" Cole asked.

"Nope. Never was, probably never will be." Hazel replied.

"So we spent all day looking for a book that we don't even need!?" Jay exclaimed. Hazel gave a nervous laugh.

"I would have explained this earlier if you had just asked." She said.

"Can we go home now?" Cole asked. "I'm getting hungry..."

Zane was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He let out an annoyed sigh as he heard a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" He called.

"It's only me. Not the Men in Black. Don't worry." Crystal's teasing voice answered. Zane blushed, not just from embarrassment, and got up. He opened the door.

"What?" He asked, forcing a small smile

"I want to ask you something." Crystal answered. Zane moved back so she could enter his room and shut the door.

"What is wrong now?" He asked, annoyed. He was obviously trying to get some sleep, though it seemed as though no one would let him have one moment of peace. Jay had bugged him about a video game challenge, and Kai had asked him to help keep the kids away from the sweets long enough to find a new hiding place for them, while Cole had teased Zane about the white ninja's crush on a certain half demon. Crystal flinched.

"Nothing. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sorry if I upset you." She whimpered. Zane softened his gaze.

"You didn't upset me." He whispered. "The others have just been bugging me all day. I haven't had a moment to myself. But I don't mind spending time with you. I actually enjoy it quite a bit." He gave her a friendly smile. Crystal didn't seem to notice the hint he had dropped in his words.

"If you're so sure..." She mumbled. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to go for a walk later on."

"Crystal, it will be night time soon." Zane reminded her, laughing slightly. "Why would you want to go for a walk at night?"

"One; we'll be alone." Crystal explained, raising her voice. "And two; I want to discuss something with you. Privately, and away from the ears of little spies." She banged on the door and yelps were heard. As well as the sound of footsteps as Jay and Kai fled, fearful of the queen's rage.

"Good point." Zane agreed, shaking his head at his friends' foolishness.

**Crystal's P.O.V.**

I had decided to head off to Soti before my walk with Zane, though I didn't tell him I was going there. There was something I had been meaning to ask someone...special. Someone who was not in Ninjago. The walk was far from comfortable. I could feel my energy beginning to waver close to the bridge. Although I was exhausted, I forced myself to keep going, though I had to stop for a bit to catch my breath. I was beginning to worry. _This isn't right_. I thought. _I shouldn't be this tired. I have gone from Tolgalen to Soti without stopping even once, so why now of all times am I so tired and weak!?_ I let out a hiss of shock as I felt someone pick me up.

"Stop overexerting yourself." Zane scolded in his usual gentle voice. I felt my face heat up. But it wasn't a blush. I knew I was beginning to become sick. I paled when I realized something. Whenever I got sick for no reason at all, one of the Legends would contact me, to warn me about something, or just to talk. But that also meant that-

"Crystal. Crystal, please answer me. Crystal!" I flinched, snapped out of my thoughts as Zane raised his voice. My ears laid back and I let out a pained whimper. Zane tensed up, believing he had injured me.

"S-sorry." I whispered. "My ears are a little sensitive to loud noises. You just startled me is all." I let out a weak cough. I couldn't feel Zane relax, and I realized we were going at a faster pace. Zane was beginning to run. I looked up and saw he was no longer looking at me. His frowning face was pale. He knew I was becoming ill, and was in a hurry to get me back to the safest place he knew as soon as possible. I went limp, surrendering to his grip for the first time. I had never trusted a human, but I could tell he was not always a human, even before he told me he was once an android. He had a faint metallic smell, and his heart beat was slower than normal human's, but he seemed to have boundless energy despite that. He glanced down at me in confusion when I went limp. A spark of fear told me he was terrified I had fainted or worse...I gave him a tired smile to assure him I was alright.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

"Hey, where's Crystal?" Lloyd asked, looking around. I looked over at him in confusion. Lloyd really couldn't care less where anyone was when it was my turn to cook.

"Don't know." Cole said. He looked over at me, and our eyes met. I knew he was thinking the same thing. _Could Lloyd have a crush on Crystal?_ I decided it was best not to think about that. Lloyd was a child, and Crystal was much older than him, considering she was only a year younger than me. I let out a sigh.

"I will go find her." I said, rushing out the door. It didn't take me too long to find her. She seemed to be tired, and she stumbled every so often. I was worried sick about her. I rushed over to her and gently picked her up, ignoring her hiss of shock.

"Stop overexerting yourself." I scolded her as gently as I could, hiding my disappointment. Her face heated up somewhat. I felt her forehead and tore my hand away in shock at the heat radiating off her. "Crystal? Why did you come out here when you were so sick!? Crystal. Crystal, please answer me. Crystal!" The half demon flinched when I snapped. I tensed up, worried I had done something wrong.

"S-sorry." Crystal stammered quietly. "My ears are a little sensitive to loud noises. You just startled me is all." She let out a weak cough. A wave of guilt crashed over me. If the two of us were to ever fight, I could harm her without even knowing it. I knew I would have to hold in my anger, and find a different way to get rid of it. Away from her. It would be hard to do that, since I felt a strong need to protect her. I began to run, praying I had found her in time. I kept telling myself she didn't want to leave, that her fever had made her slightly delirious and made her wander off. I felt Crystal go limp and looked down, terrified she had passed on before I even got a chance to try and help her. She gave me a small smile to show me she was merely tired. I relaxed slightly, though I refused to slow down. I needed to get her back home as soon as possible.

As soon as we got back, I rushed into her room and gently laid her on her bed, ignoring my team-mates' looks of confusion. I soaked a small rag and placed it on her forehead. I sat down next to her bed, laid my head down, and held her hand. I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep.  
~~

When I opened my eyes, I thought she had fallen asleep. I sat up, smiling. She looked almost angelic. My smile faded as I realized something wasn't right. The room was quiet. Too quiet. I should have heard the sound of her breathing. I pressed my hand on her wrist, begging to feel a pulse. My heart stopped for a moment when I couldn't feel a pulse.

"NO!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. I prayed it was all just a dream, that Crystal was alive and well. That this had never happened. But I knew in my heart it was real. It was all horridly real. The love of my life was dead, and I never even got a chance to tell her how I felt. I didn't know what I was planning on telling the others. I knew Lloyd and Hazel would be devastated. And Aka. Aka probably would scream at me, saying I was lying, and possibly run off back to Flame. I heard the sound of footsteps, and knew that someone had heard me.

**Cole's P.O.V.**

I rushed into Crystal's room the minute I heard Zane's grief stricken scream. He was lucky I was the only one who heard it. As soon as I got into the room, I knew something had gone wrong. I could tell Zane was crying, but the reason I didn't know until I came closer.

"I tried to save her." I heard him whisper. He must have known I had heard me come into the room, even though he didn't even look at me. His eyes were focused on Crystal, who was quiet and not moving. My heart skipped a beat disbelief when I realized that Crystal had died. I knew Zane had fallen for her, and cared more about her than his own life. It must have shattered him to watch her die and not be able to do anything to help her.

"Zane." I started. "You and I both know she'll be happier where she is now. Besides. She's with her family now. Right?" Zane nodded solemnly.

"I never told her." He choked out. I blinked in shock.

"But. I thought you would tell her as she died." I told him. "Why didn't you?"

"I couldn't." The Ice Ninja sobbed. "I fell asleep. She was dead by the time I woke up. I never told her. I was certain she would live. I failed her."

"You didn't fail her." I growled. "Stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could do. I'll go tell Kai and Jay that she's not dead, but close to it. Just in case by some miracle she's revived." I didn't wait for his reply as I left the room. Jay and Kai were having a friendly video game match in the game room. I closed the door after I walked in, and pulled the plug.

"DUDE!" Jay snapped. "You're as bad as Sensei!" Kai noticed my expression.

"What happened?" He asked. We all knew that Crystal was ill. We saw Zane rush pass without even glancing at us, his eyes clouded in fear.

"Crystal's heart stopped a few minutes ago." I lied. The two ninjas paled. "Zane's devastated. But when I checked Crystal's pulse, I could feel it. Her heart must have been stopping on and off for the last hour or so. We're not sure if she'll survive just yet. Zane's tried everything, but we can only wait and hope she makes it."

"If she dies, I'm blaming Zane." Kai growled. I glared at him.

"Kai, did you not feel the heat coming from her body when Zane ran pass us!? With a fever that high, I'm surprised she's still alive!"

"She's not alive. Is she?" Jay asked, tears in his eyes. I snapped my mouth shut.

"No. She...She died when Zane fell asleep. When he woke up and felt her pulse..." I looked down, not bothering to stop a few of my tears. After all Zane had done to protect her and make her feel welcome and safe with us, she was dead. I heard Jay choke back a sob, and Kai cursing under his breath.

"What the hell are we going to tell the kids!?" The red ninja asked. I didn't answer. No one did. We all knew we couldn't lie, but we couldn't tell them the truth.

**Crystal's P.O.V.  
**

"Why now of all times did you choose this time and place to talk to me!?" I snapped at Latios, who was hovering in front of me. We were on the floating island, where he and Latias, his younger sister, lived in peaceful secrecy.

"You need to tell him how you feel." Latios insisted, ignoring my question. "He has a right to know, and he did drop a major hint. There's no need to wonder any longer." I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Ok, fine." I mumbled. "I'll tell him. Now kindly let my spirit return to my body before Zane wakes up and sees me dead."

I instantly began cursing Latios and all the Legends when I woke up and saw Zane crying. I had never seen him shed a single tear in the time I had known him, and frankly, I didn't want to.

"Zane." I whispered weakly, forcing myself to sit up. My body needed time to regain energy after having my soul ripped out of it without any time to prepare. Damn Latios. "Zane I-" I didn't get to finish my sentence for Zane pressed his lips against mine. I sat there, startled for a moment by his sudden show of affection. I forced my eyes closed and let out a purr, telling him I was enjoying it. He pulled away and stared at me.

"Did you really just purr?" He asked in amazement. I let out a soft laugh.

"Yes." I answered. "But only certain demons can do it, so don't you even try."

"You and I are one in the same." Zane whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into a hug.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "I thought humans couldn't purr." Zane chuckled for a moment.

"We can't." He whispered. "But I wasn't talking about the purring."

"What were you talking about?" Crystal asked. "And...you love me. Don't you?" Zane let out a soft sigh.

"Yes." He answered. "I have. For a long time actually, possibly from the very moment in which we met. I just didn't realize it until recently, that I need you more than anyone. You know what it's like to be all alone. With no one to help you. No one to guide you or teach you the ways of the modern world. All you had were books, stories, and whatever memories you could salvage. I too felt that way when I lost all memory of who and what I was. It was long ago. Before I became a ninja. But that is all in the past now." H smiled sadly at me."Our pasts are long gone, but they left stains and scars upon our hearts. And our bodies." He glanced at the scar on my shoulder.

"Zane. What exactly happened to you?" I asked. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll tell you later. I need to tell the others you're alive." He whispered, forcing me to lay down.

"I didn't really die." I mumbled. He looked at me in confusion. "Ok. I did for a moment. When the Legendary Pokemon contact me sometimes, I get a high fever. Sometimes. But every time my soul is ripped from my body. That's kind of the reason why I died for a moment. Latios pulled my soul to where he was instead of coming here."

"Are all the legends that lazy?" Zane joked.

"No. They're too gigantic to fit on the bridge." I explained, yawning. I stopped to catch my breath, only realizing then how exhausted I was.

"Crystal?" Zane whispered fearfully. I smiled at him.

"I'm fine." I said, slightly annoyed. "My body just need some time to regain it's energy. It happens every time they do this." Zane didn't look convinced, but he left the room to tell the others. He came back moments later, a look of happiness on his face.

"They were happy." He stated, sitting down on the bed next to me. He gently stroked my tail before getting back up. "Now get some rest. I'm going to go and catch up on some sleep."

"Zane, wait." I said quickly. He looked back.

"What is it?" He asked me, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Do you really want to know the meaning of rumag?" I asked him. He nodded. "It means mate."

"...So...the whole time you were..." He glared at me as I laughed.

"Yes. The entire time I was dropping a major hint that I love you and you never even bothered to try and figure it out." He walked over to me.

"That was a dirty trick you know that?" He growled. I flinched and stopped laughing, startled by his sudden anger. "Do you have any clue how annoyed I was!?" My ears laid back instinctively.

"Zane I-I'm sorry." I whimpered. "I didn't know. I would have told you if you had just-" I broke off, knowing that protesting like that wouldn't change anything. I averted my gaze.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

I was confused at first when Crystal seemed to grow fearful of me. I wasn't angry at her. Didn't she see the playful spark in my eyes? I knew the answer to that question when she looked away from me.

"Crystal." I said sternly. "Look at me." She looked back over at me.

"Zane I really am sorry." She apologized yet again. "I-"

"I know, I know." I cut her off. "I didn't mean to scare you." I hugged her gently. Crystal relaxed and smiled as I broke the embrace.

"Do you still want to go for that walk?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Tomorrow." I told her. "I need to get some sleep. Good night, my love." I gave her a quick kiss and got up.

"Good night, my rumag." I heard Crystal whisper.

**So. How many of you cried at Crystal's supposed death, and then flung your computer/tablet/phone/whatever across the room when I trolled you and made her live? **

**Crystal: I have half a mind to kill you for making Zane cry!**

**Well you're the love of his life! Of course he would cry if he thought you were dead! Anyway, It's 2:00 in the effing morning, so I'm going to bed. Good night everyone. And I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. **


	14. A real problem

**I AM SO SORRY! With the EOIs and Finals and some major projects, I had so little time to myself, ans just when I had gotten done with all of that I hit writer's block! I got rid of it a couple days ago, but I ended up eating something that didn't agree with my stomach so I was miserable for half a day. I also was home sick so I had some make up work to do, as well as work on my book. Anyway...I will be updating the other stories fairly soon(hopefully), because I really am in a writing mood.  
**

**Anyway. I do have another crossover in mind, I will explain this later. And...Unfortunately, I will not be doing a Minecraft crossover. Why? Well. I have never actually played minecraft. I've only seen let's plays and mod reviews and pranks, and all those other videos on youtube, but I do not have the game because I dislike having to pay for internet games. Yes, I can understand paying for certain items/events/other crap WITHIN the game, but the game itself...no. Sorry. May change my mind, but just no. Not now.**

**Anyway this chapter focuses on Kai.**

**And Ryna.**

**And MATCHMAKING~ (dear Arceus Matsumoto, stop rubbing off on me!)**

**But mostly getting into who Crystal REALLY is(and why she and Inuyasha are so different(ref to the second/third chapter))**

**ONE LAST THING! I apologize in advance for any mistakes made in this chapter and any future chapters, and as well as past chapters. The only real time I have to myself because of school, is late at night when I'm half asleep. So that is the reason my writing is sort of...ugh. I also don't have that much time to proof-read either because of this as well. When I do have time to myself after school, I'm on Pokemon Mystery Universe chatting/doing missions/RPing, mainly because I'm just not in the mood to write more fanfiction.  
**

**But how could I not be in the mood to write more fanfiction even though I RP all the time? Well. When I write about OCs, they take over my mind as I write, often sending me right into the scene if there is no noise around me. However, when that silence is broken, it not only scares me half to death, but it can also snap me out of that mood, giving me writer's block. This has been happening more frequently because of it being the end of the school year. I'm not even on PMU all that much anymore. I used to get on every day, but now it's starting to become a every other day sort of thing, mainly because I can't seem to find the time. Also when I write about other characters, I have to really think about what would they do in that situation, which can be pretty tiring, especially if I hadn't seen how that person acts in a while. And sometimes, my character mood just. Stops. Not because of noise, but the character just seems unwilling to do anything for that scene anymore, and I have to wait for them to decide whether or not it's time to work on it some more. The main problem with that is, that they're usually ready to go when I'm at school, which obviously I cannot work on fanfiction at. This is also the reason for my chapter length. It seems as though most people have a set length, but because of the way I write, it's basically next to impossible for me to have a set length.**

**In short, I'm half asleep when I write half the time, and my OCs are stubborn little brats.**

**Kai's P.O.V.**

Yep. A perfectly normal day. For anyone who likes getting _TIED UP BY A BUNCH OF LITTLE DEMONS_. Crystal and Zane had gone off to Soti to settle a little fight between a couple of demons, Nya and Jay were out on a date, and Sensei Wu was visiting King in Tolgalen. Needless to say, Cole and I were stuck babysitting the kids. (Including Atlas. Akuma decided to go with Zane and Crystal, just in case something went wrong, and Atlas's older sister wasn't going to be stuck alone with him.)

"Let us go!" Cole snapped. Hazel, the obvious leader of the group of kids shook her head.

"Nope!" She said. "Not happening!" Lloyd nodded. Those two were the perfect team. As well as our worst nightmare. Or so I thought.

"This is my revenge for almost leaving me to the lava!" He told us. My eye twitched. That happened almost a year ago!

"That wasn't even a recent event!" I retorted. "And I saved you anyway!" Lloyd crossed his arms and muttered something about 'Still wanting revenge' and pouted at my obviously correct logic. Cole looked over at Aka and Atlas who had fallen into a giggling fit in the back.

"And what's in it for you two?" Cole asked. The two didn't stop giggling.

"It's fun!" Aka replied quickly. Cole and I both glared at the kids. This was the exact reason I _loathed _the idea of babysitting. Kids act all innocent around the people they like, but the moment they're left alone with people they don't like or care much about, they turn into little demons. And I for one, was never all that good with kids. And Hazel was like my little sister too! She actually reminded me of what Nya was like when were were younger. And I knew Cole cared for her as well, since he was the one who found her. The kids huddled together and began to whisper. I knew they were plotting something. Hazel glanced back at us and smirked, and the next thing we knew, they were gone.

"And then we were deserted." Cole muttered under his breath. "Kai, do you think you could reach my scythe?" I shook my head. I tried to wriggle my hands free, but the kids had tied us too tight. We were obviously going to be trapped until someone found us. I almost wished I tried harder to free myself a few hours later.

"Do you hear voices?" I whispered to Cole. He nodded.

"They sound familiar." He looked around. "I can't figure ou- FERN!" I flinched. I glared at him, but he wasn't paying attention. My blood ran cold for a moment. Knowing Fern she probably had Ryna with her. Which meant... I really didn't want her to see me in that situation. The moment Ryna caught so much as a glance of us, she began to laugh.

"What happened to you two!?" Fern asked in surprise.

"The kids." I answered grumpily. "Things didn't go very well for us when we were kind of forced to babysit." Ryna gave us a sympathetic glance

"The horrors of kids..." She mumbled. I stared at her.

"You know the pain?" I asked. She gave me a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah. I have a little brother named Zack. He's an absolute pain in my tail." She replied, taking out her shell-sword to cut the rope.

"Not to mention Sparky, Electra's younger brother." Fern added.

"Don't remind me, Fern." Ryna muttered. "He's much worse than Zack." I jumped up the moment the rope hit the ground.

"Thanks." I mumbled. "I have to get going." Ryna blinked in confusion.

"Why?" She asked. I hesitated for a moment.

"I have something...important to do." I replied. It wasn't a lie, but I hadn't told her the entire reason. It was good enough for her though. She nodded as if she understood, but I saw a flash of pain in her eyes. I quickly hurried after the kids, wondering about that foggy haze in Hazel's eye. And why my words had seemed to hurt Ryna.

**Ryna's P.O.V.**

"Ryna." I looked over at Fern, or Akila as she is known as in Tolgalen.

"What is it, Akila?" I asked sadly.

"What happened back there?" She asked, concern dulling her eyes. Akila and I had always been very close friends, more like sisters really. She was training to become a Healer for her small tribe, but a horrid illness had struck, leaving her with one simple problem that prevented her from becoming a healer; she would tire easily and if worked too hard she would fall into a coughing fit, something that Healers could not afford if something bad were to happen. She still knew quite a bit about medicine though. Crystal and I had met her and became her closest friends. Since she left her tribe to live on Tolgalen, she only let those closest to her call her Akila, mostly because we were the only ones who knew of her real name. The three of us were known as the 'Royal Sisters' by many. Mostly because of Crystal, but also because of the fact how revered my parents were for being in charge of the training for soldiers and guards. I often felt left out, for my father never really cared much for me, wanting a son much more than a daughter. He was slightly protective, but rarely looked at me. All his attention was on Zack. Same for my mother, since Zack was the youngest. I could probably run off for the rest of my life and never see them again, and they most likely wouldn't care.

"Nothing." I whimpered. "I just feel lost..."

"What do you mean?" Akila tilted her head in confusion.

"He didn't tell me the truth..." I answered. Akila blinked.

"Well he didn't lie either." She replied.

"I know. But it still hurt." I mumbled. I looked around. Cole had ran after Kai, saying something about the kids.

"Do you think he knows?" Akila suddenly asked. I blinked. What was she talking about?

"Who knows what?" I asked, giving her a confused look.

"Zane." Akila answered flatly. "Do you think he knows about who Crystal really is?" I shook my head.

"No." I replied. "Not that I've seen anyway. I'll tell him when they get back and about...Crystal's little sacrifice." Akila stared at me in shock.

"Don't!" She exclaimed. "He doesn't have a right to know that yet! Think about it! If he knew he would probably leave her!"

"He's not that sort of person, Akila!" I snapped. I forced myself to calm down, understanding her fears. Akila looked down, obviously torn as well. Neither of us knew what to do. We couldn't betray Crystal so openly, and we couldn't just sit back and watch. Crystal had trusted us enough to tell us of her new relationship with the ice ninja, and all three of us were concerned of this fact.

"We should just wait for a while." Akila whispered. "Crystal hasn't told him yet for a reason, we just need to accept that." I let out an angered sigh.

"Fine." I muttered. "But. We should tell him that she's not who she appears to be. Since she's so afraid to tell him herself."

"You do that." Akila told me. "I'm going after Cole." She ran off, a slight blush on her cheeks. I shook my head.

"Itov ui tomosha..." I muttered.

**_listen ekess dout thurirli. asta advice ui rasv'kledul_**

After what seemed like days, I was finally able to talk to Zane alone.

"I know this is about Crystal." He said. I rolled my eyes. He seemed to know everything these days.

"Yes. It's about the fact that she's not who you think she is." I answered. He stared at me in shock for a moment.

"What do you mean?" He asked. I let out a sigh as I began.

"She's actually a bit insecure about herself." I answered. "She's more timid and shy than you think. When you insult her, she may act like it's nothing, but it really does hurt her. Most of her life she was called worthless and a freak of nature, like all half demons. She's tried to become strong, and she's tried to hold back her tears, but she really is a fragile person."

"..." Zane was silent for a moment "I know."

"What!?" I exclaimed, gaping at him in astonishment. I had a vague feeling that he had glimpsed this side of her before, but I never knew he had figured her out so quickly. It took Akila and I years before we could understand the young queen.

"I know about this." Zane repeated. "I've noticed this about her. Unlike most people, I pay attention to the little things that happen when a person lies, or pretends. Whenever she was faking, her tail tip would always twitch, as if she was uncomfortable or in fear. Most people would ignore this, thinking it was annoyance, but I took the time to gaze into her eyes and figure out her true feelings from the little wisps of emotions hiding within them."

"Well someone's certainly observant." I mumbled. Zane let out a small chuckle.

"Considering this is quite easy for me to sense the emotions of those around me, for I was once a machine." He laughed at my startled expression. I knew he had not once been a human but a _machine_ of all things!

"Y-you were a robot!?" I exclaimed as he finished his story. The white ninja nodded.

"Android-or ninjroid as Jay dubbed it-really." He replied, shrugging. "I guess I still hold some abilities of that, such as a slightly extended life and the inability to have kids." I froze.

"Y-you can't have kids?" I asked. He nodded, confused.

"Yes. Why?" I could tell he was curious as to my reaction. "D-does it have to do with Crystal? If she needs an heir-"

"N-no it's not that!" I said quickly. "I just...I can't tell you right now."

**Kai's P.O.V.**

I was walking back home from my search for the kids (which had ended in failure), when I thought I heard something. I quickened my pace, hoping it wasn't anything important until I heard a scream that was all too familiar. It was Ryna calling my name. I broke into a run and followed the sound of her voice.

"Ryna!" I called. "Ryna answer me!" _Please don't be dead!_

"Kai!" Ryna called back, weaker than before. I heard an angered roar and Ryna's cry of agony. I knew I was in for a fight. Taking out my sword, I rushed into the small clearing where Hazel had freaked out days earlier. A large pokemon had planted it's clawed foot on Ryna's side and was slowly crushing her. Letting out a cry of rage, I ran towards the pokemon. It raised it's head and stared at me with it's emotionless eyes, it's dark aura sending shivers of fear through my body. I froze, fear and despair had rooted me to the ground, forcing me to stare into it's eyes. This was a shadow pokemon. I thought back to the time when Ryna, Fern, and Crystal had explained how feared these pokemon were, because of how ferocious they could be. The pokemon narrowed it's eyes. There was a cut above one of it's eyes, and more along it's side and stomach. Ryna hadn't been defeated without being able to land a few hits. Unfortunately, it was obvious by the shallowness of the cuts that it had taken her by surprise, and had overpowered her quite quickly. The pokemon took it's foot off her side and lumbered away, obviously not wanting to risk fighting two opponents at once. I overcame my shock and fear and knelt down beside Ryna, feeling for a pulse. She weakly opened her eyes and gave me a small smile.

"I-I'll be fine." She whimpered. "I've faced worse than this." She let out a small gasp of pain when I touched her side.

"I don't care about that!" I snapped. Once I had started I couldn't stop the words from tumbling from my mouth. "That doesn't give you an excuse to run off and nearly get killed like this, dammit! You could have been killed you idiot, I could have lost you! Do you realize how lost I would have been without you!?"

"You actually think I wanted to get attacked!?" Ryna retorted furiously. "I didn't know that thing was here! I _couldn't _have known because unlike Zane, I don't have a sixth sense! I can't see the future!"

"That doesn't matter!" I growled. I lowered my voice and gently wiped a bit of blood from her cheek. "I don't want to risk losing you. I've already lost my parents. I wouldn't be able to stand losing a friend after everything seems so peaceful." I forced back a few tears at the mention of my mother and father. Ryna looked down, obviously feeling guilty and ashamed she had brought up such a tender subject. She suddenly took out a piece of string and wound it around one of her shells.

"Here." She said, face ablaze in a blush as she put it around my neck. "Take it." I stared at her in confusion for a moment before she let out a gasp of pain and collapsed. I gently held her in my arms, fearful she was losing her life, until she snapped at me to take her to Zane.

"ZANE!" I screamed, rushing back home with a semi-conscious Ryna in my arms. Zane's eyes widened when he saw the condition she was in.

"Lay her down in one of the spare beds." He ordered me. "And whatever you do, do _not_ let her get up. Try to keep her as still as possible. I can't tell how serious her injuries are, and you took a great risk in moving her." I felt the blood drain from my face. If Ryna were to die, it would most likely be because I was such an idiot and didn't take much care when I moved her. All I could think about was saving her, and I didn't even consider how serious her injures could possibly be! I tried to convince Zane to let me stay in the room while he treated her, but he shook his head and forced me out, locking the door so I couldn't get back in.

"Kai, stop pacing you're gonna wear a hole in the floor." Lloyd said. He and Jay had gotten into another video game war, hoping to pass the time. Cole was watching them in silence as he tried to figure out why Ryna was attacked. I ignored Lloyd and continued pacing. I cursed the day we found that antidote to the Tomorrow's Tea, even though I swear Sensei said there was no antidote or way to reverse it...It was a mere accident that turned him back into a kid, but we were all happy and excited that he would get to experience a childhood of peace. Then he began to pull pranks on us. Little brothers will be little brothers I guess...

"Kai." Zane entered the room, a troubled look on his face. "Ryna wants to see you. And don't worry, her wounds were not as serious as I thought. She's just a little bruised. I'm beginning to think the dark aura of that shadow pokemon was slowly suffocating her and adding to the pain."

"That wouldn't surprise me." I muttered crossly as I walked pass him into Ryna's room. I softened my gaze and sat down on the bed next to her.

"I didn't think you would actually come." Ryna whispered. I forced a smile.

"I was worried that you were going to die." I told her softly. The gijinka rolled her eyes.

"It will take more than that to kill me, and you know it." She insisted. I let out a sigh.

"I know." I mumbled. "but that doesn't mean I can't worry." She glanced down at the shell she had given me.

"I see you kept the shell." She said, looking up at me. I saw a spark of some sort of emotion in her eyes, though not knowing what it was, I ignored it.

"Of course I kept it." I told her, giving her a confused look. "You did give it to me after all. I don't know why, but I wouldn't just throw it out. I don't know if there's a way you can even get another one if I did." She let out a laugh, then winced from the pain it caused her.

"I-I'll tell you later." She gasped. "Just let me rest for a bit."

**Ryna's P.O.V.**

"No, he doesn't know what it means yet." I insisted to the girls. Nya was utterly confused while Crystal and Akila(Fern) kept asking questions.

"Ok, I get that you're excited that she gave my brother a present and all, but what's so special about it?" Nya asked. Crystal and Akila gave her confused looks before deciding to explain it to her, realizing she knew next to nothing about the different rituals and what not of Gijinkas and monsters.

"Well, when a dewott gives one of their shells to someone they've fallen in love with, it's basically their way of confessing." Crystal began. "If that person gives it back or throws it out or something, then the dewott knows that it was rejected and is forbidden to fall in love until it evolves."

"And if the same thing happens after it evolves, it is forbidden to ever love ever again." Akila added. I looked down.

"Th-that's why we wait until we're sure the other person loves us before we do that." I mumbled, blushing. Nya joined in on the questioning at that point.

**Zane's P.O.V.**

"Crystal, is there something you wanted to speak with me about?" I asked as Crystal entered my room. I could tell she was nervous. Her tail tip was twitching and her eyes wouldn't look at me, even as I drew closer to her.

"There's something that I should have told you the moment you kissed me." Crystal answered, blushing slightly. Even though we had been together for quite some time now, she still got nervous and blushed easily whenever I got close to her. She would often push me away when I tried to kiss her, or even hug her. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would though, since I got to see her usually hidden shy side.

"Well, I've been wanting to tell you something as well. I guess this is the perfect time for this." I confessed, suddenly beginning to feel nervous myself.

"R-really?" Crystal asked, obviously surprised. I nodded. There was a small awkward silence before each of us took a deep breath.

"I can't have kids!"

"...what!?"

"What do you mean _you_ can't have kids!?" Crystal exclaimed.

"I could ask you the same thing!" I replied. "I still hold some of my abilities from my past...life of being a robot. I cannot have kids, but I do have a bit of an extended lifetime. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be surprised."

"What do you mean by 'you shouldn't be surprised'!?" Crystal snapped.

"You." I answered. "I know that half demons are often sterile, considering how different humans and demons can be. It is the same for lions and tigers. Although they can have offspring, that offspring will run the risk of having problems, the most common being the inability to breed." I looked away from her. Crystal was quite for a moment, and I was worried that I had said something wrong. Until she began to laugh. I was startled by her sudden laughter.

"Zane, you are quite intelligent." She said as she calmed down. "But that's not the reason. I gave up my ability to have kids for my powers. I never did think I was ever going to fall in love, so it didn't seem like much of a sacrifice." I let out a sigh of relief.

"I was so worried that you were in need of an heir-" I was interrupted by Crystal's gasp of horror.

"Zane, I did not fall in love with you just so I could have your child!" She snapped, her face red. "And the whole of Soti knew of this when I became their queen! They do not care of who sits upon the throne as long as they do not suffer, they're fine with it!" I flinched when I saw the hidden fear in her eyes. She had taken my words the completely wrong way.

"Crystal, I hadn't meant to offend you." I told her, giving her a quick kiss. "I was just worried that you at least might have wanted a child to raise since you love kids so much, that you would leave me." Crystal's eyes softened and she relaxed.

"I wouldn't do that to you." She whispered, hugging me tightly. "I admit I'm a bit cold hearted, but I'm not a complete riika." I blinked for a moment. Riika was draconic for hag, though it could also be translated into bitch. I decided she meant the latter.

"Crystal, you were never cold hearted to me." I murmured. "You were just insecure and misunderstood is all."

**and of course writer's block strikes again...anyyyway. I will be updating more and more towards summer after the finals end(hopefully). And.**

**I have recently gotten obsessed with the manga/anime Bleach. My favorite character? Toshiro Hitsugaya.**

**And. I've noticed something really weird about me. I dislike the cold greatly, but...I always seem to like the people who are light haired, short, and-or control the element of snow or ice...weird huh? And am I the only person who noticed how similar Ichigo and Kai are?**

**Anyway...go ahead and review if you want...**


End file.
